What happened
On 27 November 2000, a Piper PA-32-300, registration G-BADO, was involved in an occurrence at Meppershall Airfield in Bedfordshire. The aircraft had previously been moved to the airfield on 28 October for the purposes of undergoing an annual inspection and the installation of new avionics equipment.
On 25 November, the pilot travelled to the airstrip with the intention of retrieving the aircraft. However, the maintenance work was not yet complete at that time. During this visit, the pilot assessed the state of the runway, noting that the surface felt firm when walked upon. Based on this inspection, the pilot estimated the Take-Off Run Available (TORA) to be approximately 740 yards, which he calculated to be roughly double the distance he anticipated needing for the operation.