What happened
On 8 September 2006, a Piper PA-28-140, registration G-BOSU, was attempting a departure from Boughton, a private grass airstrip located near Thetford. The pilot elected to use runway 08, which measured 520 metres in length, noting that the surface was short, dry, and featured a 6 ft hedge at each end. Given the aircraft's performance margins, the pilot intended to utilize the full length of the runway.
During the takeoff roll, the pilot observed that the aircraft appeared to stop accelerating, describing a sensation as if something were dragging the plane. To avoid the risk of a stall, the pilot decided to abort the takeoff. Consequently, the aircraft ran off the end of the runway and struck a hedge. The pilot managed to shut down the engine and cut the fuel supply prior to the impact. The incident resulted in one injury to the crew, while the passenger was unhurt. The aircraft sustained damage to the nose landing gear and the right wing.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the cause of the sudden loss of acceleration during the takeoff roll. While the pilot considered various possibilities, the specific reason for the lack of momentum could not be definitively established. Although the pilot noted a potential puncture in the nose tyre, the significant damage sustained by the nose landing gear during the collision with the hedge made it impossible to confirm this as the cause.