CHI99LA179

Factual narrative

On June 7, 1999, at 1945 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N4525R, registered to a corporation, sustained substantial damage, during an attempted aborted takeoff from runway 17 (2,555' X 100', dry/turf), near Traer, Iowa. The private pilot reported minor injuries, while his passenger reported no injuries. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan was on file. The flight was originating at the time of the accident with a stated destination of Marshalltown, Iowa. In his written report the pilot said he had accumulated a total of 20 hours in this make and model of airplane. He said that time was accumulated in the preceding 90 days. The pilot said that he initiated a "short field" takeoff with 10 degrees of flap because the turf runway was "rough.". He said that he held the nosewheel off the ground, but the airplane only accelerated to 60 MPH bouncing on the rough runway. He said he then tried to abort the takeoff; however, the airplane drifted to the right of the runway and impacted a 3' X 10' pile of dirt which was partially on the runway. He said that if the pile of dirt had not been on the runway the airplane would have come to a stop on the remaining runway. Subsequent to the accident, an inspection of the airport and runway found a pile of dirt alongside the runway, which measured about 10 feet in diameter, and 3 feet high. The pile of dirt extended into the travel portion of the runway about 5'. A check of the FAA "Airport/Facility Directory revealed no warning for obstructions on the runway. The airport management was notified and removed and/or leveled the dirt pile. The pilot reported the local wind at the time of the accident to be 180 to 200 degrees at 4 knots. Subsequent to the accident an examination of the airplane failed to reveal any pre-existing mechanical anomalies. During an aborted takeoff, the airplane impacted a dirt pile and received substantial damage. The pilot said on the previous landing the runway was rough, so he elected to use a soft field takeoff technique. He said that the airplane did not seem to accelerate and he decided to abort the takeoff when the airplane reached 60 MPH. He said that the airplane drifted to the right side of the runway and during the rollout, he was unable to maneuver to avoid impacting a mound of dirt. Subsequent to the accident an examination of the runway found a dirt mound approximately 10 feet in diameter and 3 feet high which extended into the runway about 5 feet. After it was brought to the attention of airport management, the dirt mound was removed. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12