This November 2008 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Aircraft: Cessna 182. Injuries: None. Location: Gillespie, Ill. Aircraft damage: Substantial.
What reportedly happened: The pilot was attempting to take off from his private grass strip, which measured 3,800 feet. There was a 6-inch drainage pipe lying across the runway at the 1,600-foot mark. He did two practice landings and takeoffs to make certain that he could land and takeoff without hitting the drainage pipe. After the second landing, he took three passengers for a flight. He reported that the takeoff was fine, however, during the landing he did not get the airplane stopped in time and it hit the drainage pipe. The pilot and the passengers were not injured.
Probable cause: The decision to takeoff with a known obstacle on the runway.
For more information: NTSB.gov
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Why didn’t the pilot simply remove the drain pipe off the runway first to avoid the risk?
Am I missing something here or was there not 2200ft of runway on the other side of the pipe? There is a 360metre (1188ft) grass strip at Fenland, Lincolnshire, UK with a 5ft metal board at the end which I have successfully flown a Cessna 152 out of. Every runway has something which defines the usable length. It is up to pilots to be aware of their aircraft’s performance relative to the runway length (and nature, in terms of surface type and gradient). The other thing is, it is possible to fly into somewhere successfully, but not be able to get out again. You need to know that you can get out again before you fly in.