Piper PA28R N3849T

Summary

On 31 December 2019 at about 21:30 local time, a Piper PA28R registered N3849T, operated by Express Flight, was involved in an accident near Onaga, Kansas, United States. 4 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

31 December 2019 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Onaga, Kansas, United States

Nearest airport

Charles E Grutzmacher Muni (52K)

Coordinates

39.4981, -96.1750

Aircraft

Piper PA28R

Registration

N3849T

Category

Airplane

Year built

1967

Engines

1

Operator

Express Flight

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Onaga → St Joseph

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN20CA052

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper decision to take off with the airplane at a high gross weight from a short, turf runway, which degraded its climb performance and led to a delayed aborted takeoff, a runway excursion, and impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was attempting to depart from a 2,200-ft-long turf runway with three passengers onboard. After the airplane lifted off the ground, the pilot noted that it was not accelerating, and it settled back to the ground. Concerned with clearing a shed off the end of the runway, the pilot aborted the takeoff. Subsequently, the airplane departed the runway into a valley. Both wings sustained substantial damage. The takeoff performance chart for the airplane, which weighed close to its maximum gross weight, indicated a ground roll of 600 ft and a takeoff distance of 1,600 ft to clear a 50-ft obstacle. The chart was based on a dry runway and did not contain a correction for a takeoff from a turf runway, which would require a longer ground roll and takeoff distance. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and that he should not have attempted to takeoff from a short, turf runway.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.