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ERA10CA497

2010-09-22 · New Castle, Virginia, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport VA85

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's delayed decision to abort the takeoff, which resulted in a collision with terrain.

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, all indications were in the "normal range," and the airplane was accelerating normally during the takeoff roll into a 6- to 8-knot headwind. About halfway down the 2,400-foot turf runway, the airplane attained "2/3 flying speed," and between that point and the end of the runway, it became airborne, then settled back onto the runway. The pilot decided to abort the takeoff, and reduced power and applied braking, but then realized that the airplane would not be able to stop prior to impacting a berm located at the end of the runway. He added full power, and the airplane cleared the berm, crossed a dirt road, impacted a tree and some boulders, and came to rest in a pond. The pilot stated that it had rained earlier in the day and the runway might have still been damp. The pilot also stated that he "did not detect any mechanical malfunctions." According to the pilot, the airplane was accelerating normally during the takeoff roll into a 6- to 8-knot headwind. About halfway down the turf runway, the airplane became airborne and then settled back onto the runway. The pilot decided to abort the takeoff and reduced power while applying the brakes. He realized that the airplane would not be able to stop prior to impacting a berm located at the end of the runway and added full power. The airplane cleared the berm, crossed a dirt road, and impacted a tree and several boulders before coming to rest in a pond. The pilot stated that it had rained earlier in the day and that the runway might have still been damp. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa-Wet-Effect on operation
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_ERA10CA497.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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