SEA97LA098

Factual narrative

On May 5, 1997, approximately 1010 mountain daylight time, N977RA, a Piper PA-46-310P, sustained substantial damage during a practice short-field takeoff at Tooele, Utah. The private pilot, who owned the airplane, and the certificated flight instructor, who was conducting a flight review, were uninjured. No flight plan was filed for the flight. The instructional flight originated about 30 minutes before at Salt Lake City, Utah. The ELT did not actuate. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The private pilot, who was in the left seat at the time of the accident, told FAA inspectors that the airplane was configured with 20 degrees flap. He said the left wing dropped, which was recovered with rudder. The airplane then drifted to the left side of the runway and hit hard, collapsing the nose wheel and separating the right main landing gear. The instructor noted that the pilot had applied nose-up elevator trim during the initial roll to assist him in the rotation. He said that the private pilot "applied full throttle while holding the brakes. Upon release of brakes the aircraft accelerated normally with rotation initiated at approximately 70 knots. This should have been adequate for the aircraft to lift off and commence a climb, accelerating to 80 knots. Upon rotation, the airplane was placed in an excessive nose high attitude, perhaps assisted by the addition of an abnormal amount of UP trim. With the aircraft just barely airborne, in a semi-stalled condition, the left wing dropped and, I discovered later, made contact with the runway and with a taxiway sign near the left edge of the runway, opening a large gash in the bottom of the wing. This was in the outboard area of the wet wing, and I assume fuel in the left wing was exiting the aircraft at a rapid rate. Right rudder was applied from the right side of the cockpit, resulting in the wings leveling but with the aircraft path about 30 degrees left of the original runway heading. The aircraft attitude was still exceptionally nose high. having passed over the parallel taxiway and observing what appeared to be obstacles in the present path, possibility of flight did not appear to be an option and throttle was reduced to idle. Impact with the ground was immediate, and perhaps due to full right rudder applied, both the nose gear and the right main gear collapsed. The aircraft skidded around about 90 degrees coming to rest perpendicular to the original takeoff heading." During a flight review, the instructor pilot (CFI) noted that the private pilot had applied nose-up elevator trim during the initial roll to assist in rotation for a practice short field takeoff. The CFI said that after brake release, the airplane accelerated normally with rotation initiated at approximately 70 knots. The airplane was over-rotated. Just after becaming airborne, it entered a semi-stalled condition, and the left wing dropped and made contact with the runway. Right rudder was applied from the right side of the cockpit, resulting in the wings leveling, but the aircraft's path had changed to about 30 degrees left of the original runway heading. With the attitude still nose high and observing what appeared to be obstacles in the resultant path, the throttle was reduced to idle. Impact with the ground was immediate, and both the nose gear and the right main gear collapsed. The aircraft skidded and came to rest perpendicular to the original takeoff heading. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12