Overview
On 1 July 2020, a Piper PA-46-500TP, registered SP-EVA, suffered an accident during take-off from the grass runway (10L/28R) at Warszawa-Babice aerodrome (EPBC). The pilot, a 58-year-old male holding a valid Private Pilot License (PPL(A)) with appropriate ratings, was conducting a recreational flight from EPBC to Częstochowa-Rudniki (EPRU). He was the sole occupant and was not injured.
Accident Sequence
The pilot had flown from EPRU to EPBC earlier that day, landing uneventfully on the concrete runway at about 14:30 LMT. After parking and leaving the aerodrome, he returned around 18:30 to fly back to EPRU. During taxi to concrete runway 28, another incident blocked that runway. The pilot then decided to use the grass runway. After receiving clearance, he entered grass runway 28 and positioned the aircraft closer to the right edge, as he considered that side to have better surface. During the take-off run, after reaching approximately 55 kt, the airplane suddenly lost directional control and deviated to the right. The pilot reacted by pressing the left pedal, causing the aircraft to turn left and then pitch nose-down. The rotating propeller struck the ground and was destroyed. The main landing gear legs broke and folded to the right, and the aircraft slid sideways on the grass before coming to rest. The pilot shut down the power and fuel, then exited unaided.
Damage
The aircraft was substantially damaged. The nose landing gear strut broke off, detaching along with the wheel and retraction actuator. The main landing gear struts folded to the right. The five-bladed propeller and lower fairings of the engine and nose landing gear were damaged. The lower fuselage below the cabin sustained lesser damage, and there were localized deformations and cracks in the wing skins, including a puncture of the left wing upper skin from a broken main landing gear fitting.
Cause
The cause of the accident was a loss of direction during the take-off run.
Contributing Factors
The investigation identified the following contributing factors:
- Take-off operation performed from the grass runway.
- Different quality of the grass runway surface.
- Take-off run performed close to the right edge of the runway.
- A too dynamic reaction by the pilot to counteract the loss of direction, which at a speed of 55 kt resulted in a large force acting on the aircraft.