Accident Details
On May 11, 2018, at approximately 0940 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172N airplane, registration N738XT, was substantially damaged when it impacted the ground and nosed over during takeoff from runway 10 at Markley Farm Airport (OH24), Orrville, Ohio. The private pilot sustained serious injuries, and the passenger received minor injuries. The airplane sustained damage to the fuselage, wings, and vertical tail. The aircraft was registered to and operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight was not operated on a flight plan. The flight was originating at the time of the accident, with an intended destination of Greenbrier Valley Airport (LWB), near Lewisburg, West Virginia.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that he was taking off on runway 10 from his private grass airstrip. He noted that the wind was calm and the temperature was "warmer," and he referenced the pilot's operating handbook for a soft field takeoff using 10 degrees of flaps. After takeoff, the airplane was in ground effect and gaining speed. He checked the airspeed, which was between 50 and 60 knots. When he looked back toward the runway, he was left of the runway and corrected back to the right. He re-checked the airspeed, and it was now reading between zero and the bottom of the white arc (41 knots). He thought the airspeed reading was due to a pitot system error and pulled back on the yoke to see if he could climb out; however, the stall warning horn sounded immediately. He diverted to the left to avoid obstructions and was losing altitude rapidly. He pulled the yoke back all the way to fully stall the airplane, and it struck the ground and nosed over. He stated in his report that, to the best of his knowledge, there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane, engine, or systems that would have precluded normal operation.