Piper PA-24-180 N5681P

Summary

On 5 February 2003 at about 23:15 local time, a Piper PA-24-180 registered N5681P was involved in an accident near Halstead, Kansas, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 February 2003 at 23:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Halstead, Kansas, United States

Nearest airport

Halstead (SN05)

Coordinates

38.0314, -97.5092

Aircraft

Piper PA-24-180

Registration

N5681P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kingman → Halstead

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI03LA064

Nobody was injured.

Failure by the flight crew to execute an aborted takeoff when acceleration degraded and the improper soft field takeoff procedure as flown by the private pilot. Contributing factors were inadequate supervision by the flight instructor and the tailwind encountered on takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The aircraft was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain shortly after takeoff. Upon return to the airport after a local flight, they landed to the south and taxied back to the departure end of the runway. The instructor stated that the wind was light, but it was still out of the south, as it had been all afternoon. He noted that a soft field technique was employed on the accident takeoff and the full runway length was used. He stated: "Just over half way down [the] runway -- normal acceleration degraded. We were past abort point and due to dangerous road area elected to fly", although the aircraft was "behind the power curve." After liftoff, the instructor stated the aircraft did not level out very much and was at a relatively high pitch attitude. Initially the aircraft climbed to approximately 40 feet above ground level. However, it settled lower and was "bobbling" in and out of ground effect as they approached the end of the runway. The flight instructor reported that, due to an inability to climb, they were forced to fly under a set of power lines at the end of the runway. The power lines ran along a roadway, which bordered the south side of the airport. He stated that they "could not accelerate" and were "unable to climb." The decision was made to cut the power and impact (landing) was made before reaching more obstructions (trees)." Upon exiting the aircraft, he noted that the wind was now from the north. Both pilots indicated that there were no problems with the aircraft or engine, either prior to, or at the time of the accident. The FAA Airplane Flying Handbook, concerning soft field takeoffs, states: "After becoming airborne, the nose should be lowered very gently with the wheels clear of the surface to allow the airplane to accelerate. ... An attempt to climb prematurely or too steeply may cause the airplane to settle back to the surface as a result of losing the benefit of ground effect."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.