Piper PA-28-140 N6674W accident near Climax Springs, Missouri

Probable cause

The pilot’s inadequate planning and poor decision to attempt to take off on a runway from which the airplane could not obtain flight.

NTSB analysis

The day prior to the accident flight, the pilot landed at the private grass airstrip that was no longer maintained. The airstrip had a 2,600 foot long runway with 2- to 3-feet tall grass the length of the runway. On the day of the accident flight, the pilot twice attempted to depart the overgrown runway using a “short-field” takeoff technique. During the first takeoff, he exceeded his predetermined “No-Go” point on the runway and aborted the takeoff. On the second takeoff, the airplane attained 60 to 65 mph and lifted off the ground, but settled back on the runway past the “No-Go” point. The pilot was unable to stop the airplane before it went off the end of the runway and impacted trees. The pilot reported that there was no malfunction or system failure of the airplane before the accident.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN13CA386 for the full record.