N1544A – PIPER PA-20 – 2009-09-05 NTSB Accident Report

On September 05, 2009, a Piper PA-20 (N1544A) was involved in an incident near Bozeman, MT. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The failure of the pilot receiving instruction to maintain directional control during the takeoff roll and the flight instructor's delayed corrective action.

The flight instructor said he was giving the certificated private pilot some training in tail wheel aircraft. He told the pilot that the rudder pedals were very sensitive. The pilot taxied onto the runway, lined up on the centerline, and applied power for takeoff. The takeoff roll was normal until the tail wheel lifted off and the nose turned left. The flight instructor said the pilot overcorrected to the right and then back to the left. The flight instructor then got on the controls with the pilot, and, as the aircraft turned right a second time, the turn progressed into a ground loop. Subsequently, the left main landing gear separated from the fuselage and the left wing was bent up.

This incident is documented in NTSB report WPR09CA435. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N1544A.