No fatalities

7 Jun 2019: Piper PA28 140 — Nowdoinham, ME

Nowdoinham, ME, United States

On 7 Jun 2019, a Piper PA28 140 was involved in an aviation accident near Nowdoinham, ME. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The flight instructor's delayed decision to abort the takeoff from a wet, grass runway with insufficient runway remaining, which resulted in a runway overrun and the airplane going down an embankment. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A flight instructor aborted a soft field takeoff due to inadequate airspeed and obstacles, resulting in a runway overrun and substantial damage to the airplane.

Accident Sequence

A flight instructor was demonstrating a soft field takeoff for a student pilot. During the takeoff roll, the instructor maintained full back pressure on the control yoke, set 10° of flaps, and applied full power while aligned on a wet grass runway measuring 1,900 ft. The airplane failed to accelerate as anticipated because of the runway conditions. It lifted off approximately two-thirds of the way down the runway at an airspeed of 65 mph, which the instructor considered inadequate. Observing tall trees at the departure end, the instructor decided to abort the takeoff and land on the remaining runway.

Abort and Overrun

The instructor reduced power, and the airplane touched down. He applied the brakes, but the airplane overran the runway, descended an embankment, and the right landing gear struck a rock concealed by tall grass. The airplane continued across a gravel road before coming to rest in a yard.

Damage and Mechanical Status

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The flight instructor reported no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.

Probable Cause

No probable cause was stated in the source.

Contributing factors

Causes

Pilot

Other contributing factors

Effect on operationContributed to outcome