Event ATL05CA120

Factual narrative

On July 2, 2005, approximately 2045 eastern daylight time, a Grumman American AA-1B airplane, N100XX, owned and operated by a private owner, collided with the ground at Lake Ridge Aero Park Airport, in Durham, North Carolina. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot and passenger received no injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight departed Lake Ridge Aero Park Airport Durham, North Carolina, at approximately 2045, July 2, 2005. After a routine run-up the pilot began a short field takeoff from a private grass runway. The pilot stated that, approximately 1300 feet into the takeoff role the airplane lifted off the runway but failed to accelerate to an airspeed that would allow for a positive rate of climb and the airplane began to "skip off the runway." Approximately 1000 feet from the end of the runway the pilot brought the throttles back to idle, and chose to abort the takeoff to avoid possibly hitting trees at the end of runway 32. With 400 feet of runway left, the pilot nosed the plane downward and attempted a forced landing back onto the runway surface. The airplane proceeded to bounce off the grass runway and the pilot stated that the "controls became sluggish." At this point the pilot elected to ground loop the airplane. Approximately 300 feet from the departure end of the runway, the airplane began to veer to the left of centerline and the left wing struck the ground. The airplane rotated 360 degrees, and rested 250 feet from the departure end of the runway. The post-accident examination revealed that the left wing, nose gear and right main gear were each torn from the airframe. No Mechanical malfunction or component failure was disclosed during the post-accident examination of the airplane. Nor did the pilot report a problem with the airplane during the attempted landing. After a routine run-up the pilot began a short field takeoff from a private grass runway. Approximately 1300 feet into the takeoff roll, the airplane lifted off the runway but failed to accelerate to an airspeed that would allow for a positive rate of climb. The airplane settled back onto the runway surface and began to "skip off the runway." Approximately 1000 feet from the end of the runway the pilot chose to abort the takeoff and brought the throttles back to idle. Approximately 300 feet from the end of runway 32, the airplane began to veer to the left side of the runway and the left wing struck the ground. The airplane rested about 250 feet from the end of the runway. The pilot did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane, and the post-accident examination failed to disclose a mechanical problem with the airplane. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12