What happened
On July 8, 2008, a Piper PA-32-301, registration N81522, was conducting a positioning flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91 regulations. The pilot had recently completed a flight to drop off passengers and was taxiing for takeoff using a rural road as a runway. During the taxi, the right wing of the aircraft struck a berm. This impact caused the aircraft to exit the roadway to the left. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to both the left and right wings. There were no injuries resulting from the incident.
The investigation
The investigation determined that the pilot was utilizing a rural road for takeoff operations. The impact with the berm led to the aircraft departing the prepared surface.