Piper PA-28R-200 N32105 accident near Gerlach, Nevada

Probable cause

The pilot’s delay in aborting the takeoff, resulting in a runway excursion.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that during takeoff on the hard dirt surface airstrip, the airplane did not reach 60 mph when he saw the end of the runway markers and he proceeded to shutdown the engine. To avoid a collision with a fence approximately 300 feet beyond the end of the runway, the pilot directed the airplane to the left, off the side of the runway into heavy vegetation. The fuselage, wing spars, and horizontal stabilator were substantially damaged during the excursion from the runway. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the wreckage at the airstrip and measured track marks leading up to the wreckage. The inspector reported that the takeoff roll began abeam the windsock, located about 300 feet from the beginning of the airstrip. Before the midfield point, tire tracks veered to the right into the grass and then continued parallel with, and adjacent to, the runway surface. About 2,790 feet from the windsock and 1,041 feet from the end of the runway, the airplane collided with a set of white-painted tires off the runway edge. The track then continued back to the left across the runway, into heavy brush and rough terrain. The inspector measured a maximum runway length of 4,131 feet.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR09LA401 for the full record.