NTSB Factual Report

On August 5, 2001, at 1700 central daylight time, a Cessna 152 airplane, N5183P, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain following an aborted takeoff near Denison, Texas. The airplane was owned and operated by Grayson Flying Service Inc., of Denison, Texas. The commercial pilot and his pilot-rated passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight. The local flight was departing from the McKeon Airstrip, Denison, Texas, at the time of the accident, and was destined for the Grayson County Airport, Denison, Texas.

According to the accident pilot, he worked as a line service representative for Grayson Flying Service. He reported that the accident airplane was rented by another employee on the morning of August 5, 2001. The employee took off, heard a "knocking sound," and returned to the airport. After landing, the pilot reported the discrepancy to the manager. The manager asked the accident pilot and another employee (accident passenger) to examine the airplane. He instructed them that if no discrepancies were found, they could test fly the airplane in the local area.

No discrepancies were found during the examination, and the line service representative and the additional employee taxied the airplane for takeoff, performed an engine run-up and departed from the Grayson County Airport. They flew to the McKeon grass airstrip, landed and parked the airplane. The pilot reported that there were no anomalies during this flight. They returned to the airplane a few minutes later, started the engine, taxied for takeoff and initiated a "short field takeoff." The pilot stated that the airplane became airborne between 800 and 1,000 feet down the 1,800-foot runway. He reported that the airplane was between 10 and 30 feet agl when he "detected an abnormal running sound of an engine like as if the engine was maybe missing on a cylinder intermittently." He stated that he aborted the takeoff, landed the airplane on the airstrip and, subsequently, the airplane departed the end of the airstrip. The airplane then contacted an embankment and came to a stop upright.

The passenger reported that it took "a while for the airspeed to come to life." He stated that when the airplane "finally" lifted off of the ground, the pilot decided that the airplane wouldn't clear trees at the end of the runway and aborted the takeoff. He further stated that "never once did the engine seem like it had a problem during the whole flight." He added that the takeoff conditions from the airstrip were: "high temperature, full fuel, two occupants, no flaps, no run-up, short grass strip."

The density altitude was calculated by the NTSB investigator-in-charge to be 3,545 feet.

An FAA inspector examined the airplane at the accident site and reported that the firewall was structurally damaged, the engine mount was damaged, and the propeller blades were bent.

NTSB Probable Cause

the pilot's delay in aborting the takeoff, which resulted in a runway overrun.