On December 8, 1991, a Piper PA-38 (registration N9765T) operated by Ulmer, Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Talkeetna, AK. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff, which resulted in a hard landing off the runway. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot aborted takeoff immediately after liftoff when the aircraft experienced severe wing rocking. The subsequent hard landing off the runway was attributed to alignment difficulties observed by a witness.
What happened
The incident occurred during the initial phase of flight, specifically just after the aircraft became airborne. Immediately following lift-off, the airplane's wings began to rock violently from left to right several times in rapid succession. Recognizing the loss of control, the pilot decided to abort the takeoff maneuver.
During this aborted attempt, the airplane executed a hard landing on a heading that was approximately 30 degrees offset from the runway centerline. Following the impact, the aircraft skidded off the paved surface and came to rest off the runway environment.
A witness positioned near the runway observed the event from the ground. The witness reported that the pilot appeared to be struggling significantly with keeping the airplane aligned with the runway axis. This difficulty in maintaining directional control was evident both while the aircraft was still on the ground during the takeoff roll and after it had briefly become airborne.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff, which resulted in a hard landing off the runway.