Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's delayed remedial action. Factors include a wet, downhill, grass runway during the abort.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot, who had just lifted off a second time during an uphill takeoff, elected to abort because she was not sure that she would clear the trees off the end of the grass/turf private strip. The aircraft touched down after it had passed the mid-point of the runway, and because both runway ends are 12 to 16 feet lower than the mid-point, the pilot was then trying to stop on a wet, down-sloping, grass runway. The aircraft slid of the end of the runway, crossed a road, impacted vegetation, and caught fire.
Source record
Factual narrative
On August 24, 1993, at approximately 1250 Pacific daylight time (PDT), a Piper PA-28-235, N9148, collided with the terrain after running off the end of the runway at Evergreen Sky Ranch, Enumclaw, Washington. The FAA certificated private pilot and one of her passengers were not injured. The other passenger received minor injuries, and the aircraft was destroyed. The personal pleasure flight, which was departing in visual meteorological conditions, was not on a flight plan, and there was no report of an ELT transmission. The pilot, who was attempting a takeoff on the uphill portion of a wet grassy airstrip, said that the aircraft settled back to the runway after liftoff. The aircraft became airborne a second time, but the pilot elected to abort the takeoff because she sensed the aircraft was not climbing as quickly as she had expected, and she was not sure that it would clear the trees off the end of the runway. During her attempt to stop on the remaining runway, the aircraft exited the end of the runway, crossed a road, impacted nearby vegetation, and caught fire. The private airstrip from which the pilot was attempting to depart is approximately 15 feet higher at its mid-point than at either end, and therefore necessitates an uphill takeoff from either direction. The aircraft did not touch down during the abort until after passing this mid-point "crown," and therefore the pilot was attempting to stop on the downhill portion of the airstrip. -