N9009W

On May 7, 1999, at 1625 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-235 airplane, N9009W, was substantially damaged when it impacted a tree during an aborted takeoff from a private grass airstrip near Sulphur Springs, Texas. The private pilot, who was the registered owner and operator of the airplane, and his passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight and a flight plan was not filed. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident and was destined for the Arlington Municipal Airport (F54), Arlington, Texas.

According to the 897-hour pilot, the airplane was departing to the south from the 2,000-foot turf runway. He stated that during the takeoff roll, all engine gauges and flight instruments appeared normal, except for the airspeed indicator needle, which remained between 65 and 70 knots. The airplane had traveled 3/4 of the length of the runway when he aborted the takeoff. The pilot maneuvered the airplane to exit the right side (west) of the runway, to avoid contacting a tree. However, the airplane's right wing contacted another tree and the airplane came to a stop upright, on the west side of the runway.

An FAA inspector examined the airplane at the accident site and reported that the right wing, including the wing spar, was damaged. The nose landing gear was collapsed. He added that the grass on the turf runway was between 12 and 14 inches high.

The engine was examined and test run in the airframe, at Air Salvage of Dallas, Lancaster, Texas, under guidance of the NTSB. The engine was started and operated at various power settings for approximately 15 minutes. Specifications for the Lycoming O-540-B4B5 engine and Sensenich 1P235PF80BM8 fixed pitch propeller state that at FULL POWER the RPM will indicate between 2150 and 2300 RPM. At FULL POWER the RPM fluctuated between 2150 and 2200 RPM. All other engine gauges indicated within the range of normal engine operation. The top and bottom spark plugs were removed from the engine. Each of the six top spark plugs was observed free of sediment and fired consistently when bench tested. The bottom spark plugs appeared free of sediment except for the number 4 and number 1 spark plugs, which displayed a white sediment. When bench tested, the number 4 bottom spark plug and the number 1 bottom spark plug fired intermittently at various power settings. The number 2, 3, 5, and 6 bottom spark plugs fired consistently when bench tested. Additionally, the engine and airframe maintenance logbooks were reviewed and no record of any uncorrected discrepancies was found. The airplane underwent its last annual inspection on May 7, 1999, at 1,642 hours total time.