Event Narrative
During the takeoff roll, a Mooney M20 airplane suddenly turned to the left. The pilot reported that he was initially able to correct for the left turn and bring the airplane back to the right side of the runway. However, at about this point, he may have inadvertently applied the brakes. Subsequently, the airplane skidded sideways, went off the runway into the grass, and came to a stop in a drainage ditch.
Pilot Information
The private pilot had accumulated 135 hours of flight time, of which 13 hours were in a Mooney M20 airplane. He had made approximately 25 takeoffs and landings in the accident airplane; however, he had not flown the airplane during the 30 days preceding the accident.