N8942W

Substantial
Minor

Piper PA-28-235S/N: 28-10511

Accident Details

Date
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
NTSB Number
CHI08CA206
Location
Lowell, MI
Event ID
20080822X01288
Coordinates
42.953609, -85.343330
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
Highest Injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Serious Injuries
0
Minor Injuries
1
Uninjured
1
Total Aboard
2

Probable Cause and Findings

The inadequate preflight planning/preparation and the short field takeoff procedure not followed by the pilot. An additional cause was the delayed aborted takeoff by the pilot. A contributing factor was the trees.

Aircraft Information

Registration
N8942W
Make
PIPER
Serial Number
28-10511
Engine Type
Reciprocating
Year Built
1964
Model / ICAO
PA-28-235P28B
Aircraft Type
Fixed Wing Single Engine
No. of Engines
1

Registered Owner (Historical)

Name
HARP AIR LLC
Address
5959 BANCROFT AVE SE
Status
Deregistered
City
ALTO
State / Zip Code
MI 49302-9601
Country
United States

Analysis

The pilot had performed 56 flights in the accident airplane from the airport in "similar" atmospheric conditions at airplane weights that equaled or exceeded the accident flight takeoff. The pilot stated that the "numerous" trees surrounding the airport and the departure end of each runway are "extremely dangerous" and provide "few, if any, options" for an uneventful aborted takeoff. During the accident takeoff on runway 30 (2,394 feet by 48 feet, dry asphalt), the airplane performed within the pilot’s expectations, but after rotation, the airplane was not climbing "normally" nor was it accelerating to best angle climb speed at the rate he previously experienced. The pilot then aborted the takeoff while the airplane was within a "few" feet above the runway because he did not want to risk hitting the trees at the departure end of the runway. The pilot was uninjured and the passenger received minor injuries. The airplane overran the runway with the application of "full" braking and impacted the trees. A post crash fire then ensued consuming the airplane. The pilot stated that he can only "speculate" that something changed after takeoff rotation that affected airplane performance. The airplane flight manual states that the takeoff distance over a 50-foot obstacle is about halfway down the runway and the calculated landing ground roll is within the remaining runway distance. The pilot stated that he used 10 degrees of flaps for the takeoff rather than 25 degrees of flaps cited in the airplane flight manual for a short field takeoff. There is no takeoff performance data based upon a 10-degree flap setting cited in the airplane flight manual.

Data Source

Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CHI08CA206