SARASOTA, FL, USA
N112FA
AMERICAN AA-1
The pilot stated that during the takeoff roll he realized that there was insufficient runway to complete the takeoff. He was distracted by conversations with the passenger and made no attempt to abort the takeoff. He prematurely lifted the airplane off the runway and climbed to about 20 to 30 feet. The airplane did not accelerate, collided with trees, and crashed. No performance planning was performed for the flight.
On September 10, 1995, about 1615 eastern daylight time, an American AA-1, N112FA, registered to a private owner, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed on takeoff from the Hidden River Airport, Sarasota, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The airline transport pilot and one passenger reported minor injuries. The flight was originating at the time of the accident. The pilot stated he was on takeoff roll on runway 27, when he realized their was insufficient runway remaining to complete the takeoff. He was distracted by conversations with the passenger and made no attempt to abort the takeoff, and prematurely lifted the airplane off the runway at about 60 mph, and climbed to about 20 to 30 feet. The airplane did not accelerate and collided with trees along the bottom of the fuselage. The pilot observed another tree and maneuvered the airplane to avoid a collision. The right wing collided with the tree and crashed. He further stated he was operating the airplane at or near maximum gross weight and he did not perform any performance calculations for the flight.
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ABORT THE TAKEOFF RESULTING IN A PREMATURE TAKEOFF, AND SUBSEQUENT IN-FLIGHT COLLISION WITH TERRAIN. THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO PERFORM THE NECESSARY PERFORMANCE DATA COMPUTATIONS FOR THE FLIGHT AND HIS DIVERTED ATTENTION DUE TO CONVERSATION WITH THE PASSENGER WERE FACTORS.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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