| Crash location | 32.520000°N, 84.950000°W |
| Nearest city | Columbus, GA
32.460976°N, 84.987709°W 4.6 miles away |
| Tail number | N371JB |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 27 Jul 2013 |
| Aircraft type | Piper PA-28-181 |
| Additional details: | None |
On July 27, 2013, at 1022 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-181, N371JB, was substantially damaged during a runway overrun at Columbus Airport (CSG), Columbus, Georgia. The private pilot and pilot-rated passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local personal flight, which was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
According to a written statement by the pilot-rated passenger, she had earlier attempted a takeoff from runway 31. However, she felt that the engine was not developing enough power and aborted the takeoff. The accident pilot subsequently arrived at the airport, they "checked everything again," and he decided to "go one more time." However, they "felt the same thing" and he aborted the takeoff. The accident pilot subsequently took off on a third attempt, and after feeling once again that the engine was not developing enough power, decided to land straight ahead.
In a written statement by the accident pilot, he confirmed the first pilot's recollection of the events, but added that during the third attempt, the airplane took off about 70 knots and climbed to about 60 feet above the ground when he felt there wasn't enough power to continue the flight. He then decided to abort the takeoff and landed the airplane in the grass just past the end of the runway.
A witness stated that he saw the airplane bounce once on the runway before overrunning the end, then "pivot" 180 degrees before coming to a stop, which resulted in the nose landing gear collapse and damage to the right wing. The witness also noted that earlier, the pilot of the first attempt had stated to him that the airspeed indicator was "not performing."
Wind, recorded about the time of the accident, was calm.
The responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector stated that the accident pilot subsequently confirmed that he and the other pilot originally thought there was an airspeed indication problem. The accident pilot looked at the pitot head after the first aborted takeoff and noticed debris, which he removed. He then performed a high speed taxi test to ensure that the airspeed indicator was functioning properly before attempting another takeoff.
The pilot was originally going to have the airplane repaired, but instead sold it to an aircraft parts company; further investigation into possible performance-related anomalies was not pursued.
The pilot's delayed decision to abort the takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the airplane's perceived lack of performance for reasons that could not be determined due to insufficient information.