Marietta, OK, USA
N47962
Cessna 152
The 81-hour private pilot was attempting a soft-field take off from a 2,450-foot-long and 55-foot-wide, turf runway at night when he drifted to the left side of the runway. The pilot reported that the combination of the nose high attitude used for a soft-field take off, the bouncing of the aircraft on the rough terrain, and the infrequently spaced, nonstandard runway edge lights made it difficult to determine the airplane's proximity to the runway edge. The pilot also said that before he realized the airplane's location on the runway and before he was able to take corrective action, the airplane impacted foliage and descended down a steep embankment. The airplane spun about 180 degrees to the left as it traveled down the embankment and came to rest in thick vegetation. The winds were light at the time of the accident.
On June 10, 2005, at 2200 central daylight time, a single-engine Cessna 152 airplane, N47962, was substantially damaged following a loss of directional control while on take off from the McGhee Catfish Restaurant Airport (T40), near Marietta, Oklahoma. The private pilot and the passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by a fixed base operator based in Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The 81-hour private pilot stated that he was attempting a soft-field take off from runway 17 (a 2,450-foot-long by 55-foot-wide, turf runway). As the airplane approached takeoff speed, it began to skip along the uneven terrain and drift toward the left edge of the runway. The pilot added that "the combination of the nose high attitude used for a soft-field take off, the bouncing of the aircraft on the rough terrain, and the infrequently spaced, nonstandard runway edge lights...made it difficult to determine the airplane's proximity to the runway edge." The pilot continued to say that before he realized the airplane's location on the runway and before he was able to take corrective action, the airplane impacted foliage and descended down the very steep embankment. The airplane spun about 180 degrees to the left as it traveled down the embankment and came to rest in thick vegetation on a southerly heading. Both occupants were able to exit the airplane without outside assistance. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector performed an on-scene examination of the airplane and reported the empennage was bent and twisted just aft of the cabin. No mechanical deficiencies were noted. The pilot reported the weather at the time of the accident as light winds and visibility greater than 10 miles.
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control while executing a soft field take off. A factor was the prevailing dark night conditions.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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