NTSB Factual Report

On August 16, 2005 at 1545 eastern daylight time, a Piper 22, N8595C, registered to and operated by a private owner, collided with the ground, and came to rest inverted, during an aborted takeoff at Johnson Field Airport, Archdale, North Carolina. The flight was operated under provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and a flight plan was not filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the private pilot was not injured. The flight originated from Johnson Field, Archdale, North Carolina on August 16, 2005 at 1544.

The pilot was attempting to normal takeoff on runway 03 at Johnson Field, which is a 2070 feet long by 75 feet wide turf/gravel runway. The pilot stated that "after he rotated the airplane off of the ground at 55 knots, the airplane felt like it did not want to climb." The pilot did not believe that he would be able to climb over trees at the departure end of the runway, So, the pilot decided to abort the takeoff with about 400 feet of runway left. During the aborted takeoff, the pilot landed the airplane back on the runway, "ground looped the airplane, and came to rest 200 feet from the end of the runway.

Post-accident examination of the airplane revealed that the airplane was inverted, nose gear bent aft, and engine firewall was buckled. The airplane also exhibited damage to the right wing, fuselage, propeller, and engine cowling. Post-accident examination of the flight control surfaces revealed no mechanical failures. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunction with the airplane. Performance data for the Piper 22 states that a normal takeoff ground roll is 950 feet and take takeoff to clear a 50 foot obstacle takes 1500 feet.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing roll, which resulted in a nose over.