NTSB Factual Report

On June 13, 2004, at 1030 central daylight time, a Cessna 172, N98981, owned by a private owner and operated by Executive Flight Center, Inc. , veered off runway 18 at Madison County Airport (MDQ), Meridianville, Alabama. The private pilot was not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal flight was conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The local flight departed MDQ on June 13, 2004, at 0920.

According to the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to practice touch and go's in the traffic pattern. He stated that on his second landing of the day, the airplane touched down smoothly. He stated that when he advanced the throttle to take off, the airplane began to turn left, and he responded by adding right rudder. The pilot stated that the airplane began to "fish-tail," and he believes that he either "over compensated or under compensated with the rudder". The airplane veered off the left side of the runway into the grass, collided with a ditch, and the nose wheel assembly was torn from the airframe.

Examination of the wreckage revealed that the nose gear separated from the fuselage, the lower firewall was cracked, and the propeller was bent on one side. The pilot stated that "he should have exercised better directional control on takeoff". The pilot reported no mechanical problem with the airplane.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during an attempted takeoff, which resulted in the on ground collision with the ground.