Piper PA28 N5969W accident near Florence, Colorado

Probable cause

The pilot’s decision to continue the takeoff with reduced airplane performance due to high density altitude

NTSB analysis

During takeoff for a local flight, the flight instructor rotated the airplane, but it failed to lift off from the runway. The flight instructor continued the takeoff and rotated the airplane a second time; at that point, the airplane was located near the midpoint of the runway. A witness reported that the airplane’s climb performance was weak. During the climb, the flight instructor recognized that something was wrong and made a 180° turn to land on the runway. The airplane impacted terrain resulting in substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine found no preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operations.

A review of meteorological data revealed that the temperature at the time of the accident was the warmest that the pilot had encountered since he purchased the airplane 1 month before the accident. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were consistent with a high density altitude; well above the threshold indicated in guidance at which leaning the fuel mixture is recommended to maintain airplane performance. Postaccident calculations showed that, in the weather conditions at the time, the airplane would have experienced a takeoff distance increase of 140% and a climb performance decrease of 65%. It is not possible to determine, based on the available evidence, whether the instructor adequately leaned the airplane’s fuel mixture for departure and whether that contributed to degraded airplane performance. During a previous flight, the airplane exhibited reduced performance while operating in lower density altitude conditions than those on the day of the accident.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN20FA072 for the full record.