History of the Flight
The aircraft, a Piper PA-28-140 registered G-BOSU, was being operated from a private airstrip at Boughton, near Thetford. The grass runway, designated 08/26, was 520 m long with a 6 ft hedge at each end. The pilot considered the grass to be short and dry. He had flown the aircraft into the strip but this was his first attempt at a takeoff from it.
The pilot elected to use Runway 08 as the airstrip did not have a significant slope and the wind was almost calm, with a very slight headwind. He was careful to use the full length of the runway as he was aware that the aircraft’s nominal performance gave only a small margin for takeoff.
Takeoff and Rejection
The pilot reported that, about half-way through the takeoff roll, the aircraft seemed to stop accelerating and it felt “as if there was something dragging”. He made the decision to reject the takeoff rather than get airborne and risk stalling; as a result, the aircraft ran off the end of the runway and into the hedge. On making the decision to reject the takeoff, the pilot was able to shut down the engine and turn off the fuel before the impact with the hedge.
Pre-Flight and Aftermath
The pilot reported that the pre-flight checks and pre-takeoff power checks had been normal. He could not positively identify a cause of the lack of acceleration during the takeoff roll, although he considered it possible that the nose tyre had suffered a puncture. The extensive damage to the nose landing gear prevented a positive determination of this.
The aircraft sustained damage to the right wing and nose leg. The pilot was uninjured; the passenger had no injuries.