On June 3, 1995, a Piper PA-16 (registration N5328H) was involved in an aviation accident near Williston, ND. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to gain adequate altitude during takeoff, which resulted in an impact with terrain. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
An airplane pulled right on soft ground during takeoff and struck an irrigation ditch immediately after leaving the runway, resulting in a crash due to insufficient altitude gain.
What happened
The pilot reported that while attempting to take off from a dirt field, the airplane pulled to the right on the soft ground. Immediately after taking off, the airplane impacted a rise in the terrain which was an irrigation ditch located to the right of the field. The pilot stated that he just was not able to gain enough altitude prior to impacting the ditch.
Findings
The accident occurred during the initial climb phase of flight. Contributing factors included the soft ground conditions and the pilot's inability to achieve sufficient altitude before encountering terrain obstacles adjacent to the runway.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to gain adequate altitude during takeoff, which resulted in an impact with terrain.