Accident Details
A rental airplane impacted trees during initial climb from an aborted landing on runway 28 at a grass airstrip. The runway was 2,000 feet long. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, with winds reported from the south by the closest weather reporting station.
According to a passenger, the airplane touched down approximately halfway down the runway, then climbed back into the air, touched down a second time, and took off again before impacting trees west of the runway. An examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Pilot Information
The private pilot had accumulated a total flight time of 141.2 hours over a period of about ten years. In the 90 days before the accident, the pilot logged 5.5 hours, and in the 30 days before, 2.3 hours. The pilot's last airman medical certificate had expired at the time of the accident.
The pilot's certified flight instructor reported that the pilot last received flight instruction on a grass airstrip during student pilot training. The instructor stated that, based on his recollection, the pilot had very little experience on grass airstrips since receiving his private pilot certificate.
Operational Guidance
A Federal Aviation Administration safety publication provides guidance for takeoff and landing planning. It advises pilots to plan touchdown 200 feet inside the runway threshold, abort takeoff if not solidly airborne in the first half of the runway, and abort landing if not solidly on the ground in the first third of the runway (first quarter if the grass is wet).