ELLIS, KS, USA
N9666D
PIPER PA-22-150
The pilot was attempting to takeoff from a county road. The airplane had full fuel, four persons aboard, and the road sloped upward in the direction of takeoff. The air temperature was approximately 93 degrees. The airplane started sinking and drifting to the left while the pilot was flying in ground effect. The airplane drifted off of the road and nosed-over in a ditch. The estimated density altitude at the time of the accident was 4,800' msl.
On August 14, 1993, at 1920 central daylight time, a Piper PA-22- 150, N9666D, sustained substantial damage when it nosed-over in a ditch during takeoff from a county road near Ellis, Kansas. The private pilot received minor injuries. The three passengers aboard the airplane were not injured. No flight plan was filed, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The pilot reported he was attempting to takeoff to the west on the county road. He stated he was flying in ground effect with a nose high attitude, and the airplane began to sink and drift to the left. The airplane drifted off the road, hit a ditch, and nosed-over. The takeoff site elevation was approximately 2,000' msl; the outside air temperature was approximately 93 degrees fahrenheit. The estimated density altitude for these conditions is 4,800' msl (chart attached).
the pilot's inadequate preflight planning and preparation. Factors in the accident are the pilot's premature liftoff, his failure to keep the airplane properly aligned during the initial climb, and the high density altitude.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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