DELTA, UT, USA
N7614Z
Piper PA-25-235
The pilot said that this was his first season as an aerial application pilot, and this was his first takeoff from this airstrip. He was on takeoff roll with 80 gallons of applicant and 30 gallons of fuel; and, the takeoff 'seemed long to me.' He reduced the throttle to idle, and began braking. The airplane went beyond the end of the runway, hit an earthen berm, and separated the right main landing gear from the fuselage. One propeller blade and the right wing tip were bent. The pilot reported that the airstrip's elevation was 5,000 feet, the temperature was 70 degrees F., and the altimeter was 30.02 inches of mercury. The density altitude was 6,795 feet. The airplane's maximum gross weight was 2,900 pounds, and the airplane's actual weight was undetermined.
On July 12, 1999, approximately 0800 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-25-235 Pawnee, N7614Z, was substantially damaged when it struck terrain during an aborted takeoff near Delta, Utah. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The aircraft was being operated by Spanish Fork Flying Service, Spanish Fork, Utah, under Title 14 CFR part 137. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local aerial application flight which was originating at the time of the accident. No flight plan had been filed. The pilot said that this was his first season as an aerial application pilot, and this was his first takeoff from this airstrip. He said that he was on takeoff roll with 80 gallons of applicant and 30 gallons of fuel; he reported that the takeoff "seemed long to him." He reduced the throttle to idle, and began braking. The airplane went beyond the end of the runway, hit an earthen berm, and separated the right main landing gear from the fuselage. One propeller blade and the right wing tip were bent. The pilot reported that the airstrip's elevation was 5,000 feet, the temperature was 70 degrees F., and the altimeter was 30.02 inches of mercury. The density altitude was 6,795 feet. The airplane's maximum gross weight was 2,900 pounds, and the actual weight at takeoff was undetermined.
The pilot's delayed aborted takeoff. A factor was the high density altitude.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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