Piper PA-601P N141AJ

Summary

On 13 December 2002 at about 23:30 local time, a Piper PA-601P registered N141AJ was involved in an incident near Manassas, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 December 2002 at 23:30

Classification

Incident

Location

Manassas, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Manassas Region (HEF)

Coordinates

38.7214, -77.5156

Aircraft

Piper PA-601P

Registration

N141AJ

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Manassas → Norfolk

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

IMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

NYC03IA030

Nobody was injured.

The pilot' failure to maintain directional control during an aborted takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot taxied onto the runway, and once cleared for takeoff, he advanced the throttles. He used differential braking to maintain runway alignment until reaching 40 knots of indicated airspeed (KIAS), and then switched to the rudder. Approximately 65 KIAS, the pilot felt a shudder that seemed to come from the wheels, which he initially thought was caused by standing water on the runway. Within a second, he felt a second shudder, and started to have directional control problems. Because the airplane was "...well below rotation speed," he aborted the takeoff. He closed both throttles, and within 2 seconds, the airplane yawed left and departed the runway. On rain-soaked sod, the airplane slid approximately 1,000 feet before coming to a stop. The airplane received minor damage during the accident sequence and substantial damage during recovery. Visibility was 3 miles in rain, and the runway had standing water on it. Examination of the engines and airframe revealed no preimpact failures or malfunctions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.