| Crash location | 31.151667°N, 81.391111°W |
| Nearest city | Brunswick, GA
31.149953°N, 81.491489°W 5.9 miles away |
| Tail number | N555ES |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 29 Apr 2007 |
| Aircraft type | Piper PA 46-350P |
| Additional details: | None |
On April 29, 2007, about 2015 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA 46-350P, N555ES, was substantially damaged during an aborted takeoff at the Malcolm McKinnon Airport (SSI), Brunswick, Georgia. The certificated private pilot and the three passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed for the flight destined for the Evansville Regional Airport (EVV), Evansville, Indiana. The personal flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot reported that the airplane performed normally during a series of flights earlier in the day. During the accident flight, the airplane was departing from runway 4, a 5,800-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, asphalt runway. The pilot stated that the engine experienced a momentarily loss of power during the takeoff roll, which he described as similar to the turbocharger not operating. The pilot elected to continue the takeoff and the airplane appeared to be performing normally; however, just prior to lift off, the engine rpm sounded like it decreased. The airplane lifted off the runway; but felt "sluggish and underpowered," and the pilot elected to abort the takeoff.
The airplane subsequently landed hard, the right main landing gear tire blew out, and the aft wing spars on both wings were damaged.
Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions.
The pilot reported that the airplane's gross weight at the time of the takeoff was about 175 pounds above its maximum gross takeoff weight. He further reported 1,066 hours of total flight experience, which included 31 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane.
A weather observation taken at SSI, at 1953, reported: winds from 170 degrees at 5 knots, visibility 10 statue miles, clear skies, temperature 22 degrees Celsius (C), dew point 15 degrees C, altimeter 30.01 inches of mercury.
The pilot's delayed decision to abort the takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the attempted takeoff above the airplane's maximum gross weight, and an undetermined partial power loss, as reported by the pilot.