What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Airport manager statement:
The airport manager: happened at karw wed. Early afternoon - 2 pm ish - aircraft (Grumman tiger) based in wilmington, NC was not making. Power and went off end of runway, the airport manager towed it back to the ramp for the owner. Only a position light lens was damaged and no injuries. The airport manager will provide n number and other information later.
Pilot statement:
January 26,2022. Beaufort executive airport (karw) this was a normal start, run up and taxi for Grumman AA5A-501 N26276. Nothing felt or sounded out of the ordinary. All the checklists were run, mags were checked at 1800 per the POH so I taxi'd on alpha to take runway 22. Upon entering the runway I made sure to get as FAR back on the runway as possible, and I'm glad I did. I went over the last checklist out loud: abort plan- if there is runway ahead of you with engine trouble put it back down on the runway. If you are below 1000 with engine trouble, land straight ahead. If you are 1000' or higher with engine trouble make a 180 back to the airport. From there I started the roll out- full power, keeping the nose on the centerline. Pretty quickly I realized it felt a little sluggish and not as strong as it usually is rolling down the runway. For a second I wondered if the wind had changed and I was taking off with a tailwind. The air speed came alive but I was taking alot more runway than usual, but it was on the rise. I hit rotate speed (55KTS) so figured I would try to get it off the ground, thinking maybe I was overthinking the different feel of this take off. It lifted off, but would not climb out of ground effect. I probably only had about 3 seconds of realizing I had a problem. I looked ahead and saw that I had some runway- not alot, left in front of me. I pulled power, pulled mixture and put the nose down. I got it down on the main landing gear and hit the brakes as hard as I could. It wanted to swerve all over the place but I kept 'flying' it keeping it on the ground and as close to centerline as possible. My momentum carried me off the front of the runway and into the grass, stopping just in front of the water that surrounds the karw. The landing gear clipped one of the light bulbs at the end of the runway, but there was no damage to the airplane as the area that hit the light is covered in a thick rubber fairing/casing. I was able to taxi off the grass and back onto the runway by my own power, but after shutting it down to let another plane depart, I could not start the engine back up and needed a two from the FBO over to the maintenance hangar. Upon inspection the A&P found that one of the cylinders (#4) had low compression and was not creating enough power to climb out of ground effect. The airplane stayed at the airport where it is currently being repaired.
My logbook hours at time of attempted take off were 152.9
As the FAA filed it
AIRPORT MANAGER STATEMENT:
THE AIRPORT MANAGER: HAPPENED AT KARW WED. EARLY AFTERNOON - 2 PM ISH - AIRCRAFT (GRUMMAN TIGER) BASED IN WILMINGTON, NC WAS NOT MAKING. POWER AND WENT OFF END OF RUNWAY, THE AIRPORT MANAGER TOWED IT BACK TO THE RAMP FOR THE OWNER. ONLY A POSITION LIGHT LENS WAS DAMAGED AND NO INJURIES. THE AIRPORT MANAGER WILL PROVIDE N NUMBER AND OTHER INFORMATION LATER.
PILOT STATEMENT:
JANUARY 26,2022. BEAUFORT EXECUTIVE AIRPORT (KARW) THIS WAS A NORMAL START, RUN UP AND TAXI FOR GRUMMAN AA5A-501 N26276. NOTHING FELT OR SOUNDED OUT OF THE ORDINARY. ALL THE CHECKLISTS WERE RUN, MAGS WERE CHECKED AT 1800 PER THE POH SO I TAXI'D ON ALPHA TO TAKE RUNWAY 22. UPON ENTERING THE RUNWAY I MADE SURE TO GET AS FAR BACK ON THE RUNWAY AS POSSIBLE, AND I'M GLAD I DID. I WENT OVER THE LAST CHECKLIST OUT LOUD: ABORT PLAN- IF THERE IS RUNWAY AHEAD OF YOU WITH ENGINE TROUBLE PUT IT BACK DOWN ON THE RUNWAY. IF YOU ARE BELOW 1000 WITH ENGINE TROUBLE, LAND STRAIGHT AHEAD. IF YOU ARE 1000' OR HIGHER WITH ENGINE TROUBLE MAKE A 180 BACK TO THE AIRPORT. FROM THERE I STARTED THE ROLL OUT- FULL POWER, KEEPING THE NOSE ON THE CENTERLINE. PRETTY QUICKLY I REALIZED IT FELT A LITTLE SLUGGISH AND NOT AS STRONG AS IT USUALLY IS ROLLING DOWN THE RUNWAY. FOR A SECOND I WONDERED IF THE WIND HAD CHANGED AND I WAS TAKING OFF WITH A TAILWIND. THE AIR SPEED CAME ALIVE BUT I WAS TAKING ALOT MORE RUNWAY THAN USUAL, BUT IT WAS ON THE RISE. I HIT ROTATE SPEED (55KTS) SO FIGURED I WOULD TRY TO GET IT OFF THE GROUND, THINKING MAYBE I WAS OVERTHINKING THE DIFFERENT FEEL OF THIS TAKE OFF. IT LIFTED OFF, BUT WOULD NOT CLIMB OUT OF GROUND EFFECT. I PROBABLY ONLY HAD ABOUT 3 SECONDS OF REALIZING I HAD A PROBLEM. I LOOKED AHEAD AND SAW THAT I HAD SOME RUNWAY- NOT ALOT, LEFT IN FRONT OF ME. I PULLED POWER, PULLED MIXTURE AND PUT THE NOSE DOWN. I GOT IT DOWN ON THE MAIN LANDING GEAR AND HIT THE BRAKES AS HARD AS I COULD. IT WANTED TO SWERVE ALL OVER THE PLACE BUT I KEPT 'FLYING' IT KEEPING IT ON THE GROUND AND AS CLOSE TO CENTERLINE AS POSSIBLE. MY MOMENTUM CARRIED ME OFF THE FRONT OF THE RUNWAY AND INTO THE GRASS, STOPPING JUST IN FRONT OF THE WATER THAT SURROUNDS THE KARW. THE LANDING GEAR CLIPPED ONE OF THE LIGHT BULBS AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY, BUT THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE AS THE AREA THAT HIT THE LIGHT IS COVERED IN A THICK RUBBER FAIRING/CASING. I WAS ABLE TO TAXI OFF THE GRASS AND BACK ONTO THE RUNWAY BY MY OWN POWER, BUT AFTER SHUTTING IT DOWN TO LET ANOTHER PLANE DEPART, I COULD NOT START THE ENGINE BACK UP AND NEEDED A TWO FROM THE FBO OVER TO THE MAINTENANCE HANGAR. UPON INSPECTION THE A&P FOUND THAT ONE OF THE CYLINDERS (#4) HAD LOW COMPRESSION AND WAS NOT CREATING ENOUGH POWER TO CLIMB OUT OF GROUND EFFECT. THE AIRPLANE STAYED AT THE AIRPORT WHERE IT IS CURRENTLY BEING REPAIRED.
MY LOGBOOK HOURS AT TIME OF ATTEMPTED TAKE OFF WERE 152.9