N905CT

On July 15, 2003, about 2030 hours central daylight time, a Diamond DA20-C, N905CT, operated by Aurora Aviation, Inc., Las Vegas, Nevada, was substantially damaged when it impacted a runway light and ditch during the takeoff roll at the Hillsboro Municipal Airport, Hillsboro, Texas. The certificated private pilot and his passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The local personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

According to the pilot, the local flight was intended to be no more than 10 minutes in length. A preflight inspection and passenger briefing were performed. The weather conditions were "great," with "minimal wind coming from 090 [degrees]." An engine start, taxi, and run-up were successfully completed with no anomalies noted. The pilot reported that he began his takeoff roll on runway 34, which was paved and 4,000 feet long. He stated that he was, "...prepared for a normal takeoff and began accelerating. Upon reaching about 45-50 knots, aircraft veered abruptly off runway. I began rotation as sufficient speed was present to avoid the runway lights. Aircraft struck one runway light and settled in a shallow ditch running parallel to the runway."

The pilot reported that he reduced engine power. The aircraft then "jumped the ditch" while shearing off the nose landing gear and buckling the main landing gear. The propeller was damaged, and the aircraft skidded to the left wing and rotated 180 degrees from the intended direction of takeoff. The aircraft traveled another 20 yards before coming to a stop. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.

The pilot reported that at the time of the accident, the wind was blowing from 090 degrees at 3 knots, with gusts to 7 knots. An automated weather observation at the airport near the time of the accident indicated that the winds were from 120 degrees at 5 knots. The pilot reported that the airplane veered off toward the right during the takeoff roll, and that the wind was blowing toward the left side of the runway. The pilot reported that he had accumulated a total of 72.6 hours of flight time, including 25.5 in the Diamond DA-20 airplane. He also reported that he had flown 1.2 hours during the previous 30 days, and 5.1 hours during the previous 90 days.

According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, inspection of the accident site and wreckage did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane's brakes. No skid marks were found on the runway. Evidence was found to indicate that the airplane departed the runway about 600 feet from the takeoff runway threshold.