What happened
On Saturday, June 6, 1998, at 15:45, a SOCATA TB 9 aircraft, registered F-GKVP, attempted to take off from the unpaved runway 18 at Strasbourg Neuhof. The aircraft was operating at a weight near its maximum allowable limit. During the takeoff roll, the pilot attempted two separate departures, but in both instances, the aircraft failed to gain sufficient altitude or airspeed, causing the wheels to touch the ground again.
As the aircraft reached the end of the runway, the pilot elected to abort the takeoff to avoid colliding with trees located ahead of the flight path. The aircraft subsequently came to a stop in a nearby field. The incident resulted in heavy damage to the aircraft. There were 4 persons on board, including the pilot; no fatalities or injuries were reported.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the takeoff performance and the environmental conditions at the time of the accident. The runway at Strasbourg Neuhof was an unpaved grass strip measuring 800 by 60 meters, noted to have high grass. Meteorological conditions were clear with visibility of 18 km and a temperature of 31 °C.
Investigators reviewed the flight manual requirements, which indicated that for the estimated mass of the aircraft, the required takeoff roll distance should have been 450 meters. While the investigation could not determine the exact speed at which the pilot attempted the takeoffs, the physical conditions of the runway and the aircraft's weight were central to the analysis.