This is an excerpt from a report made to the Aviation Safety Reporting System. The narrative is written by the pilot, rather than FAA or NTSB officials. To maintain anonymity, many details, such as aircraft model or airport, are often scrubbed from the reports.
I was on a training flight with a student out of Cable Airport (KCCB) in Upland, California. The lesson was pattern work and practice takeoffs and landings.
We checked the weather beforehand. There was a SIGMET over our area and was forecasted to move out in an hour. We checked radar and the nearest thunderstorm was 30 nm southeast at the time with little to no movement in our direction.
We checked the overall weather and it was safe to fly. The AWOS reported winds 080 at 12 knots at the time of takeoff with clear skies.
There was a twin engine airplane that landed before us. And another aircraft that took off for pattern work before us.
We departed Runway 06 and I flew the pattern to show my student, as he has never used Runway 06 before. The pattern was normal and we made a crosswind landing with no issues. Upon landing we taxied back for takeoff after a full stop.
Radar was checked on ForeFlight and there where no nearby thunderstorms.
My student took the controls and executed a crosswind takeoff. Upon takeoff the stall warning horn started to come on and off intermittently about 30 feet AGL. I asked if he wanted me to take the controls and he said yes.
As I took the controls I lowered the AOA and the stall warning horn was not subsiding. It felt as if we were in an extreme downdraft. We were losing altitude.
In front of us it was hard to tell what I was looking at because of the smoke associated with all the wildfires, but it looked like almost a wall of dust or smoke.
I decided to make an early left crosswind to get out of the situation and the downdrafts. Upon turning left crosswind the situation initially got better, abruptly followed by extreme downdrafts. We were losing altitude and I could not climb the airplane.
I said out loud that I have to turn in another direction because this isn’t working. We were getting close to hitting the rising terrain to the north. I changed direction east while keeping the AOA as low as possible and we finally got headwinds that helped us climb the airplane and subside the stall warning horn.
Upon climbing the airplane we experienced very high headwinds and our groundspeed was low.
I made a call on CTAF to the other airplane in the pattern and told him not to land. I told him what happened and recommended them diverting.
I asked my student to get me Ontario International Airport (KONT) Tower frequency next. Looking back at KCCB I saw blowing dust. I called KONT Tower and let them know the situation and asked if they were showing any unusual weather, winds, or microburst. I believe they just told me the winds but said nothing about a microburst.
I was busy trying to climb the airplane and figure out a good time to turn away to the west and the communications is hard to remember.
KONT Tower asked if I needed any assistance and I said yes, I want you to watch over me and divert to ZZZ.
The flight continued safely to ZZZ and we executed a safe landing.
The whole experience scared me, as at one point, I could not get out of the downdrafts. I thought we may have to land off airport as we were close to the ground.
Me and my student will be debriefing in more detail when I see him next. I told him to call for a ride home. I plan on flying the airplane back much later tonight.
Primary Problem: Weather
ACN: 2163775
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