Piper PA28 N7227F

Summary

On 7 June 2019 at about 14:30 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N7227F was involved in an accident near Nowdoinham, Maine, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 June 2019 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Nowdoinham, Maine, United States

Nearest airport

Merrymeeting Field (08B)

Coordinates

44.6945, -69.3822

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N7227F

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Brunswick → Nowdoinham

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA19CA350

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor's delayed decision to abort the takeoff from a wet, grass runway with insufficient runway remaining, which resulted in a runway overrun and the airplane going down an embankment.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor reported that, while demonstrating a soft-field takeoff for a student pilot, he maintained full back pressure with the control yoke; lowered the flaps to 10°; lined up on the wet, grass, 1,900-ft-long runway; and added full power. He further noted that the airplane was not accelerating as anticipated due to the runway condition. The airplane lifted off about two-thirds of the way down the runway, and he decided that the airspeed of 65 mph was "not adequate." Additionally, he saw tall trees at the end of the runway, so he decided to abort the takeoff and land on the remaining runway. He added that he reduced power, that the airplane touched down, and that he applied the brakes but that, "due to the slick conditions," the airplane overran the runway and went down an embankment, and the right landing gear struck a rock hidden by the tall grass. The airplane continued across a gravel road and came to rest in a yard. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and the fuselage. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.