| Crash location | 48.618334°N, 97.175834°W |
| Nearest city | Drayton, ND
48.578597°N, 97.223683°W 3.5 miles away |
| Tail number | N2555P |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 12 Apr 2006 |
| Aircraft type | Piper PA-22-150 |
| Additional details: | None |
On April 12, 2006, at 1200 central daylight time, a Piper PA-22-150, N2555P, owned and piloted by a student pilot, received substantial damage on impact with terrain during takeoff when the airplane veered off runway 35 (2,600 feet by 60 feet) at Drayton Municipal Airport (D29), Drayton, North Dakota. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot was uninjured. The flight was departing at the time of the accident and was returning to Hallock Municipal Airport (HCO), Hallock, Minnesota.
The pilot stated that the wind lifted the wing but by the time he was able to get the wing lowered, the airplane skidded off the eastern edge of the runway.
The HCO Automated Weather Observing System, located 12 nautical miles northeast of D29, recorded at 1156, wind 290 degrees at 21 knots with gusts of 25 knots.
According to the on-scene Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the pilot stated that his wallet containing his airman medical certificate fell into the water at the accident site, and the pilot had no idea if it had a current student solo endorsement. When the pilot was asked who his instructor was, he responded by saying that he did not remember.
The last entry in the pilot's logbook was dated January 27, 2006, with the following entry: "intro to multiengine." The two previous entries were dated June 26, 2004, and July 18, 2003. The logbook did not contain a current student solo endorsement.
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff. A related factor was the high wind condition.