19970227009079I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-32-300 · West Bend, WI · February 27, 1997

Date: February 27, 1997 · 07:10 local
Place: West Bend, WI
Airport: West Bend Municipal Airport
Phase of flight: Takeoff Ground Roll
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N128A
Reported as: Piper PA32300
Reported engine: Lycoming IO540K1A5
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 900 total250 in this make and model100 in the last 90 days

N128ARegistered now · Piper PA-32-300S/N 32-40354 · Built 1967 Airframe modelPiper PA-32-300 Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: the pilot stated that he was departing on runway 13 under VFR conditions. During the takeoff roll, he reached rotation speed and attempted to lift the aircraft off, when left main gear caught a snow drift, causing the a/c to veer to the left. Immediately applied right rudder and reduced power. By the time the a/c came to a stop, it went into a snow bank. Damaging the prop & nose strut. No injuries.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS DEPARTING ON RUNWAY 13 UNDER VFR CONDITIONS. DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL, HE REACHED ROTATION SPEED AND ATTEMPTED TO LIFT THE AIRCRAFT OFF, WHEN LEFT MAIN GEAR CAUGHT A SNOW DRIFT, CAUSING THE A/C TO VEER TO THE LEFT. IMMEDIATELY APPLIED RIGHT RUDDER AND REDUCED POWER. BY THE TIME THE A/C CAME TO A STOP, IT WENT INTO A SNOW BANK. DAMAGING THE PROP & NOSE STRUT. NO INJURIES.