What happened
On September 3, 2011, at approximately 18:00, a Piper PA-28-181 Archer II, registration PH-TGF, was performing a private flight from Groningen Airport Eelde to Ameland. The aircraft was operating on runway 27, an unpaved grass strip. Due to muddy conditions at the beginning and end of the runway, the pilot had been requested by the harbor master to avoid the first section of the runway, effectively shortening the available takeoff distance.
During the takeoff roll, the pilot applied full power and pulled the control yoke significantly aft to relieve pressure on the nosewheel, a common practice for soft-field operations. As the aircraft reached a speed of approximately 50 knots, the nosewheel lifted off the ground prematurely. The aircraft then experienced a sudden yaw to the right. Despite the pilot's attempts to correct the heading with the rudder, the aircraft veered off the right side of the runway. The aircraft crossed a ditch and came to a halt in an adjacent field, where the propeller and the right wingtip struck the ground. The impact caused heavy damage to the aircraft and destroyed a barbed-wire fence, though all three occupants escaped without injury.
The investigation
The Dutch Safety Board (OVV) examined the aircraft's mechanical condition and the environmental factors at the scene. Technical inspections found no evidence of failures in the steering, brakes, or shimmy damper. The aircraft's weight and center of gravity were within permissible limits.
Investigators analyzed the track marks left in the grass, which showed that the aircraft traveled at a 45-degree angle relative to the runway centerline before the pilot attempted a leftward correction. The investigation also focused on the aircraft's configuration, specifically the flap settings and elevator trim. While the flaps were set to 25 degrees in accordance with the manual, the elevator trim was found to be set in a "nose-up" position, which deviated from the recommended neutral or slightly aft-neutral setting for a soft-field takeoff.
Findings
Several factors contributed to the loss of control:
- The pilot's specific takeoff technique, which involved pulling the yoke far back, likely caused the nose to rise too early.
- The nose-up trim setting created an aerodynamic tendency for the nose to pitch up further as speed increased.
- High induced drag, caused by the high angle of attack and 25-degree flap setting, prevented the aircraft from accelerating quickly enough to maintain stability.
- A significant crosswind component of approximately 7 knots likely assisted the rightward drift.
Safety action
Following the incident, the usable portion of the runway at Ameland was relocated southward to increase the available takeoff distance and avoid the muddy sections, a change was implemented via a NOTAM.