N3963E – PIPER PA-36-375 – 2011-07-23 NTSB Accident Report

On July 23, 2011, a Piper PA-36-375 (N3963E) was involved in an incident near Cambridge, NE. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's failure to reset the engine's mixture control lever to the full rich position prior to takeoff.

The airplane departed from a runway with a slight uphill grade, for the first agricultural application flight of the day. The pilot reported that his acceleration was less than expected, and he lifted off near the departure end of the runway with minimum airspeed. The airplane failed to accelerate or climb, and struck terrain about 600 feet from the airport. The impact collapsed the landing gear and caused substantial damage to the airframe and elevator. The pilot reported that he inadvertently departed with the engine mixture control leaned at approximately the halfway setting. The pilot added there was no preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure with the airplane. He also reported that the accident could have been prevented if he had used the checklist.

This incident is documented in NTSB report CEN11CA526. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N3963E.