Cessna 182 N9432X accident near Milford, Pennsylvania

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain control during takeoff.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was taking off from a 2,500-foot long by 50-foot wide turf runway, oriented on a northerly heading, when the airplane "became airborne early due to a dip in the runway." According to the pilot, he experienced a "slight left crosswind" and "engine torque," and the airplane began drifting to the left. The left wingtip impacted a tree, and the airplane came to rest in trees on the left side of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. Neither the pilot nor a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who examined the airplane after the accident, reported any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies. Details regarding the pilot's experience operating on turf runways, and particularly the accident airport, could not be obtained despite numerous attempts. In the NTSB Pilot/Operator Accident Report Form, the pilot reported the accident airport's runway width as 50 feet. This was confirmed by analysis of aerial photographs of the airport, which also depicted the distance between trees on either side of the runway as varying between 77 feet and 56 feet. However, records maintained by the FAA listed the runway as 200 feet wide. The nearest weather reporting station, located approximately 16 nautical miles southeast of the accident location, reported winds from 280 degrees at 7 knots around the time of the accident.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA09CA449 for the full record.