The pilot reported that he initiated a takeoff roll on the 2,200-foot-long wet, turf runway in De Pere, Wisconsin, and that, about 1,650 feet down the runway, the Piper PA28 encountered standing water, and the speed decreased.
He said he “still felt I had plenty of room to regain airspeed and take off safely.”
The airplane encountered standing water again on another section of the runway, and the speed decreased further.
The pilot retracted two notches of flaps and attempted to climb the airplane, but it exited the departure end of the runway and entered a cornfield.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mounts.
The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable cause: The pilot’s improper decision not to abort the takeoff after the airplane encountered standing water on the runway, which decreased its speed and led to its subsequent inability to climb and resulted in a runway overrun.
NTSB Identification: GAA18CA546
This September 2018 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.
Hmmm, the judgement on when to abort a takeoff is not how much more you need to get airborne but rather how much room you need to stop. Walking the runway is a good takeaway but I rarely see people actually do it. The better takeaway is stop the airplane at the first standing water and wait a few hours for better conditions. Or, generalized, abort the takeoff when acceleration is not as expected and not later than the predetermined abort point.
Yes. Taxiing the full length of the runway would have been more practical. The pilot’s report seems to indicate he is a careful pilot. But reconsidering all that he said, perhaps the main takeaway is another case of external factors. He said he was flying to his destination for work.
A 1650 ft take off roll seem very long, even on wet grass.
Another ‘stupid pilot’ and wrecked aircraft.!
“Stupid” is not what he needs to hear when he is looking at an airplane that will cost a lot of money to repair. You have no idea of the back story. Perhaps he was inexperienced. I feel sorry for the guy.
Dave,
Check the docket; the whole story is there.
https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms/search/document.cfm?docID=472309&docketID=62335&mkey=98278
Then tell me why a pilot with 1,300 hours in type, isn’t able to take off without crashing.
yup, a stupid pilot.!
I do too. Per the NTSB report, 1359 total time, 75 last 90 days. Had departed from the same runway the previous morning. His safety recommendation was that he should have walked the length of the runway to check conditions prior to takeoff. Pretty good takeaway.
If the pilot retracted 2 “notches” of flaps, he must have started the takeoff with full flaps. I’ll have to find my PA28 POH to check on that.
Two notches of flaps (25 degrees) are used for short and soft-field takeoffs in PA-28’s. I think he probably described the retraction that way just to clarify he didn’t retract from two notches to one. In either case two notches are supposed to get the airplane off of the ground in the shortest distance but maybe the sound or affect of the water lead him to believe less would be better.