N9357N

On June 11, 2002, about 1645 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-200, N9357N, was substantially damaged while taking off from a private airstrip near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The certificated private pilot and passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

According to the pilot, he landed at the 1,800-foot long grass airstrip, and parked the airplane. He then inquired the landowner as to the name of the airstrip he had just landed. Since the airstrip was not the pilot's intended landing facility, he elected to depart.

The pilot taxied the airplane to the end of the airstrip, and positioned it to depart diagonally, in an effort to take advantage of the wind conditions. During the takeoff, the airplane began to climb; however, it remained in ground effect. The airplane then struck a tree and a power line, shearing the right wing from the fuselage. The airplane descended back to the ground, nosed over, and came to rest inverted.

The pilot additionally stated that the airplane's weight at the time of the accident was about 300 pounds below the maximum gross weight. He did not report any malfunctions with the engine or airframe.

A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the landing facility after the accident and observed the turf was mowed to a height of about 6 inches. He also observed that about 500 feet north of the grass strip, was the Bowtie Airport, also a private grass strip. There were no taxiways between the two grass strips.

According to the airplane pilot's operating handbook, the takeoff performance for a paved level dry runway, at maximum gross weight, included a ground roll of about 1,000 feet, and a total distance of 2,100 feet to clear a 50-foot obstacle. There were no charts available in the handbook to calculate takeoff performance from a soft field.

The weather at a nearby airport, about the time of the accident, included winds from 040 degrees at 6 knots, temperature of 29 degrees Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 29.85 inches Hg.