History of Flight
On June 20, 2009, at approximately 1445 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-161, registration N29496, was substantially damaged during a rejected takeoff from Plymouth Municipal Airport (PYM), Plymouth, Massachusetts. The certificated flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed; no flight plan was filed for the local training flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the CFI, the flight departed the accident airport around 1345, climbed to 4,500 feet for training maneuvers, and after about 30 minutes performed a simulated emergency descent. During the descent, the CFI used carburetor heat and performed steep spirals, periodically applying and retarding power to verify engine response. The flight then entered the traffic pattern for runway 24 and practiced several takeoffs and landings.
After about 15 minutes, the CFI switched to practicing on a grass area parallel to runway 15/33, intersecting runway 6/24. She elected to demonstrate a soft-field takeoff with 25 degrees of flaps, applied full power, and checked gauges. After liftoff, she lowered the nose to accelerate to a target of 79 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS). However, acceleration became stagnant after 55 KIAS, and the aircraft did not accelerate beyond 60 KIAS. The CFI announced an aborted takeoff, reduced power, and positioned for landing. Concerned about runway 6/24 perpendicular to the flight path, she allowed the aircraft to float over the pavement before touching down. The aircraft touched down on the main landing gear and decelerated. As it slowed, the nosewheel struck a soft, elevated patch of grass, causing the nose gear to collapse and the aircraft to nose over. The CFI did not notice any decrease in engine rpm prior to aborting. An eyewitness about 800 feet away reported hearing no unusual noise before touchdown.
Personnel Information
The CFI, age 23, held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane ratings, plus a flight instructor certificate for airplane single-engine land. Her most recent FAA first-class medical was issued March 21, 2007. She reported 359 total flight hours, 273 as pilot-in-command, 57 as CFI, 42 hours in the accident make/model, and 24 hours as CFI in that make/model.
The student pilot, age 32, held an FAA third-class medical issued March 27, 2009, and reported 32 total flight hours, 28 of which were in the accident make/model.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft received its airworthiness certificate on April 20, 1979, and was registered to the current owner on July 21, 1993. It had 12,140 hours of service at its last 100-hour inspection on April 2, 2009. The Lycoming O-360-D36 engine had 8,534.7 total hours, 1,952 hours since overhaul, and 61 hours since last inspection.
Meteorological and Airport Information
The 1452 weather observation at PYM reported wind from 210 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 10 miles, few clouds at 3,000 feet, scattered clouds at 3,700 feet, temperature 23°C, dew point 18°C, altimeter 29.62 inches of mercury. The previous observation included wind from 230 degrees at 7 knots.
The airport has no control tower and two crossing runways. Runway 6/24 is 4,349 feet long and 75 feet wide; runway 15/33 is 3,351 feet long and 75 feet wide. The grass area used for takeoff was parallel to and north of runway 15/33, intersecting runway 6/24. According to airport personnel, the grass area is not designated as a runway but was utilized by the flight school. Regular mowing was the only maintenance; its approximate length before intersecting runway 6/24 was 1,000 feet, measuring between 1,000 and 1,545 feet on the airport diagram. After the accident, the flight school prohibited operations on the grass area.
Wreckage and Impact
The aircraft came to rest about 1,000 feet west-northwest of runway 6/24’s centerline, resting on its vertical stabilizer and fuselage top. The nose-over damaged the rudder, vertical stabilizer, propeller, wing spar, and fuselage.
Additional Information
The airplane’s pilot operating handbook contained no performance charts for takeoffs from other than paved surfaces, including a warning against extrapolating performance data. Using data from the CFI and airport, the calculated takeoff ground roll on a dry, paved runway was approximately 950 feet. With the wind reported about seven minutes post-accident, the ground roll would have been about 1,075 feet.
Several FAA references (AIM, Airplane Flying Handbook, Aircraft Weight and Balance Handbook, and Advisory Circular 60-22) were reviewed for guidance on turf runway effects. The Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (Chapter 8) noted that weight and balance restrictions should be followed, and that factors like runway length, surface, slope, wind, and obstacles may require weight reduction. Chapter 9 stated that non-hard, non-smooth surfaces increase ground roll during takeoff.