On April 6, 1997, a Mooney M20F (registration N6492Q) was involved in an aviation accident near Marietta, OK. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's inadequate short field takeoff. A factor was the pilot's lack of recent experience in short field takeoffs from a grass/turf runway. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During a grass runway takeoff at low speed with 10 degrees flaps, the airplane veered right shortly after lift-off. The pilot's attempt to realign resulted in the left main gear striking the runway edge before coming to rest in a ravine.
Accident Overview
During the takeoff, the airplane was at low speed with approximately 10 degrees of flaps and flew for about 5 seconds before veering to the right. The pilot attempted to realign the airplane with the runway; however, the left main gear struck the side of the runway and the airplane came to rest in a ravine along the side of the runway.
Pilot Experience
The pilot reported having 38.2 hours in the M20F airplane. He had never performed a short field takeoff from a grass or turf runway in this airplane.
Pilot's Comments
According to the pilot, this accident could have been prevented by 'minimizing time spent in ground effect when taking off on a windy day (and gusty day) from grass runways.'