What happened
During a simulated takeoff procedure at Paraparaumu Airport, an aircraft veered from the runway centerline toward the right side of the strip. As the plane moved off the paved surface, the right main landing gear struck the shoulder of the runway, causing it to be detached from the airframe. The movement continued until the vehicle came to a stop off the runway.
There were no fatalities or injuries reported among the two crew members on board. However, the impact and subsequent excursion resulted in the aircraft being declared a total loss due to damage exceeding repairable limits.
Findings
Investigations into the incident identified that the pilot failed to initiate an abort sequence with sufficient timing during the takeoff roll. Several contributing elements were noted during the analysis of the event:
- The aircraft had reached a high ground speed prior to the deviation
- The braking system was experiencing overheated conditions
- The captain's failure to abort the takeoff in a timely manner