Accident Details
On April 13, 2012, at about 1030 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-28-140, registration N3583K, experienced a loss of control during takeoff from Runway 11 at San Manuel Airport, San Manuel, Arizona. The accident occurred seconds after the airplane became airborne. It impacted the runway hard and then collided with a parked airplane before coming to a stop. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The private pilot was not injured, and the passenger sustained a minor injury. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 in visual meteorological conditions with no flight plan filed. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by PC Aircraft in San Manuel. The flight was originating at the time.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that he began what seemed a normal takeoff. The airplane lifted off a few feet, then dropped back onto the runway at an angle, subsequently colliding with a parked airplane.
Witness Account
A witness at the airport observed the airplane accelerate for takeoff. Immediately after liftoff, the airplane entered a left bank toward the left side of the runway. The airplane then bounced off the runway, traversed across a median and a taxiway before striking an unoccupied airplane and coming to rest approximately 2,500 feet from the start of the takeoff roll.
Postaccident Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration Inspector examined the airplane postaccident and found that the left wing was bent upward about a 45-degree angle starting near the wing root. No pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures were discovered that would have precluded normal operations.