MILFORD, NY, USA
N7437A
Cessna 172R
The pilot diverted to a private grass strip to wait for fog to clear at his intended destination. During the subsequent takeoff roll, the pilot felt the airplane hit a soft spot, and he believed he was too close to the end of the runway to abort. During the initial climb, the pilot felt he could not clear electrical wires, so he dove under them. In the process, he struck a tree and crash landed in a field. The pilot did not hear a stall warning horn during the takeoff and climb.
On June 20, 1998, about 0845 Eastern Daylight Time, a Cessna 172R, N7437A, received substantial damage during takeoff from a private strip near Milford, New York. The certificated private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the pilot, he intended to fly from Luther Airport (NY09), Chittenango, New York, to Cooperstown-Westville Airport (NY54), Cooperstown, New York. He diverted to the private grass strip due to fog at Cooperstown. The pilot stated that during the subsequent takeoff, the airplane encountered a soft spot in the runway too late to abort the takeoff. He felt the airplane would not clear electrical wires at the departure end of the strip, so he decided to go under the wires. In the process, the airplane hit an apple tree before landing in a soggy field. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector, the pilot stated that he took off from the grass strip about 60 miles per hour, and that he did not hear the stall warning horn during the takeoff and climb.
The pilot's decision to intentionally fly below wires, which resulted in the collision with trees. A factor in the accident was the soft grass airstrip.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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