On April 9, 2005, a Champion 7ECA (registration N11177) was involved in an aviation accident near Mexico, MO. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot inadvertently using the wrong runway for takeoff, which resulted in a tailwind condition. Factors to the accident were the tailwind, the aborted takeoff, the wet grass runway, and the road embankment. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot aborted a takeoff on a grass runway after realizing he was taking off with the wind. The airplane overran the wet runway and struck a road embankment.
Accident Overview
The airplane impacted a road embankment during an aborted takeoff at a private airstrip. The pilot reported that before boarding, the winds were from 200 degrees at 10 knots. The airstrip consisted of a grass/turf runway, 1,300 feet long, oriented north/south.
Pilot Actions
The pilot stated his intention was to depart from runway 18, but "because of distraction or whatever" he taxied to runway 36 and initiated the takeoff. He reported, "I knew that I should be airborne or feeling very light by the time that I got to a bump about [halfway] down the runway from either direction. When I got to the bump without the tail coming up and with an indicated airspeed of about 35 mph I knew that something was seriously wrong and knew instantly what the problem was. I was taking-off with the wind."
Aborted Takeoff
The pilot aborted the takeoff by reducing engine power to idle and applying brakes. The grass runway was wet with dew. The aircraft overran the end of the runway and impacted a road embankment.
Investigation
No further information from the investigation was provided in the source.