NTSB Factual Report

On December 19, 2017, about 1658 eastern standard time, a Cessna 177, N3179T, was substantially damaged when it collided with a hangar during takeoff from the Ridgeland-Claude Dean Airport (3J1), Ridgeland, South Carolina. The flight instructor and the student pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the student pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight that was destined for the Statesboro - Bulloch County Airport (TBR), Statesboro, Georgia.

The flight instructor stated that he and the student had flown earlier that day and had no issues with the airplane. On the second flight, they performed one takeoff and made a full stop landing without incident before taking off again. The flight instructor, who was seated in the front right seat, said that the student pilot performed the takeoff on runway 21 while he gently held the control wheel with both hands. The student pilot, who was seated in the front left seat, had his left hand on the control wheel and his right hand on the throttle as the airplane accelerated down the runway. When the airspeed reached 65 knots, the student pilot initiated a climb, but the airplane began to "pull to the left." The flight instructor tried to take control of the airplane, but the student pilot continued to hold the control wheel and throttle. The flight instructor said he had good aileron and elevator control as he tried to maneuver away from the approaching hangars and maintain airspeed; however, he could not recall if the rudder pedals were moving when he pushed them. The airplane continued left, touched down momentarily, then bounced back in the air. The flight instructor realized the airplane was not going to clear the hangars, so he shut off the engine with the mixture control. The airplane struck a hangar with the left wing, pivoted, and struck another hangar with its right wing, before coming to a stop. There was no post-impact fire.

The student pilot stated that he remembered adding full power to takeoff and then initiating a climb at 70 knots. He did not remember clearly what happened after that except that they had "no rudder control" and could not maintain runway centerline. The student pilot said the instructor took control of the airplane and the "impact happened so fast."

An on-scene examination of the airplane revealed that it sustained substantial damage to both wings, the fuselage, and empennage. The propeller blades were also damaged.

The flight controls were checked for continuity. The rudder moved freely and was connected to the rudder pedals, which moved in both directions but was restricted by impact damage from moving to full deflection. The elevator moved but was also restricted due to impact damage. The ailerons could not be moved due to impact damage, but the left aileron was down, and the right aileron was up. The flaps were extended for takeoff and the elevator trim tab was positioned 5° nose down.

The flight instructor received his flight instructor certificate, with an airplane single engine land rating on November 11, 2017. He also had a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single and multiengine land. His last Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) second-class medical was issued on February 17, 2017. The flight instructor reported a total of 525 total flight hours, of which, about 12 hours were in the accident airplane.

The student pilot had not applied for an FAA student-pilot certificate at the time of the accident.

At 1656, weather reported at the Beaufort Marine Air Corps Station (NBC), Beaufort, South Carolina, about 14 miles east of the accident site, included, wind from 240° at 4 knots, visibility 10 miles, and clear skies.

According to FAA Advisory Circular AC-61-23C, Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge:

"The effect of torque increases in direct proportion to engine power, airspeed, and airplane attitude. If the power setting is high, the airspeed slow, and the angle of attack high, the effect of torque is greater. During takeoffs and climbs, when the effect of torque is most pronounced, the pilot must apply sufficient right rudder pressure to counteract the left-turning tendency and maintain a straight takeoff path."

NTSB Probable Cause

The student pilot’s improper control inputs, which resulted in a loss of control on takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s inadequate remedial action.