Aircraft and Flight Details
The aircraft involved was a Piper PA-28RT-201, registration G-OMHC, manufactured in 1979 and powered by a single Lycoming IO-360-C1C6 piston engine. The flight was a private operation, with the pilot (aged 49, holding a Private Pilot's Licence with IMC and Night Ratings) and one passenger on board. The pilot had logged 336 hours total flying experience, including 138 hours on type, with 24 hours in the last 90 days and 9 hours in the last 28 days.
The Incident
On 1 October 2004 at 0910 hrs, the pilot landed at Manchester (Barton) Aerodrome to collect a passenger and return to Tatenhill Airfield. Before the flights, he had completed performance calculations allowing for fuel sufficient for 4.5 hours endurance from Tatenhill. After collecting his passenger at Barton, he reviewed information for the return flight. Runway 27L was in use, with a Take-Off Run Available (TORA) of 621 metres on damp grass. The surface wind was from 170° magnetic at less than 5 knots. The pilot calculated a take-off run requirement of 370 metres.
Commencing takeoff with two stages of flap selected and full power, the pilot expected to initiate rotation at approximately two-thirds distance along the runway. At that point, the airspeed was just under 60 knots. Believing the aircraft would not become airborne and clear some tall trees in the take-off path, he decided to abort the takeoff. By then, he had travelled an additional 30 to 40 metres. He closed the throttle and applied full braking but was unable to stop before the aircraft overran the runway into long grass.
Post-Incident Observations
Subsequent investigation revealed that the engine was operating normally and that the pilot's performance calculations were correct based on the available information. The pilot considered that parts of the runway could have been wetter than he expected, or that his visual assessment of the take-off path to clear the trees was incorrect. Nevertheless, he felt his decision to abort the takeoff was correct at the time. In future, he intended to review his performance calculations more critically, as he believed having less fuel on board might have provided a greater safety margin.