NTSB Factual Report

On September 18, 2004, at 1433 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180, N8275W, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it impacted a parked airplane while attempting to takeoff from runway 21 (2,000 feet by 100 feet, dry turf) at the Harrison Airport (MU33), Hurdland, Missouri. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and his three passengers sustained minor injuries. The flight was originating at the time of the accident and had the intended destination of Waterloo Municipal Airport (ALO), Waterloo, Iowa.

The pilot reported that the airplane was loaded with four occupants, whose combined weight was about 750 lbs, and about 30 gallons of 100 low-lead aviation fuel (180 lbs). The useful load for a PA-28-180 in a standard configuration is 1,175 lbs. The pilot stated that during the takeoff roll the airplane attained about 65 mph prior to rotation. The pilot reported that the airplane became airborne and he subsequently lowered the nose to gain additional airspeed, but the airplane settled and touchdown on the runway and "slowed down." The piloted stated that he "pulled off the ground again" but there were trees off the end of the runway so he decided to "abort the takeoff." The pilot reported that the airplane "stalled and veered to the right side of the runway" and "clipped the nose of the parked aircraft."

A witness to the accident was videoing the accident airplane during the attempted takeoff. A copy of the video was made available to the NTSB Investigator. The video began with the accident airplane already established on the takeoff roll. The airplane rotated, with the nose gear rising and the airplane's tail striking the runway with both main landing gear still on the runway. The nose gear then lowered and contacted the runway. The airplane then yawed to the right with all three landing gear apparently in contact with the runway surface. The airplane then rotated again, while still angled to the right of the runway heading, and climbed less than three feet before settling back to the runway. The airplane then went off-camera as the witness repositioned out of the projected path of the airplane. When the camera reacquired the airplane it was airborne, in a shallow right bank, traveling off the right side of the runway. The airplane then impacted a parked Cessna 170 that was positioned off the right side of the runway, near the departure end.

The closest weather reporting station to the accident site was located at Kirksville Regional Airport, Kirksville, Missouri, about 10 nautical miles west of the accident site. The airport is equipped with an Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS). The following weather conditions were reported:

At 1455: Wind 120 degrees true at 11 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, sky clear, temperature 25 degrees Celsius, dew point 16 degrees Celsius, altimeter setting 30.10 inches-of-mercury.

The density altitude for the weather reporting station was 2,189 feet.

According to a takeoff performance chart included in the Piper PA-28-180 owner's handbook, the takeoff ground roll on a 2,200 feet density altitude day using a hard-surfaced dry runway was about 900 feet. The owner's handbook did not contain charts or adjustments for takeoffs on grass/turf runways. However, according to "The Advanced Pilot's Flight Manual" the manufacturer's takeoff values for hard surface runways should be increased by 10 percent for a short grass runway. The takeoff ground roll distance was calculated to be about 990 feet.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to maintain proper airspeed and directional control during the takeoff and his failure to properly abort the takeoff after the encountered tailstrike. A factor to the accident was the stall/mush encountered during the attempted takeoff and the parked airplane.