March 20, 2012, Indianapolis, Ind., Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee 140

The airplane was substantially damaged at 1725 Eastern time during an aborted takeoff. The student pilot was not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The student pilot reported successfully completing three takeoff-and-landings before attempting a soft-field takeoff. The airplane began to veer left as the nose gear lifted off the runway. He attempted to correct with right rudder but was unable to regain directional control and decided to abort the takeoff.

Editorial Staff

Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

An airplane sustained substantial damage during an aborted soft-field takeoff attempt by a student pilot.
The student pilot lost directional control as the nose gear lifted, causing the aircraft to veer left despite attempts to correct.
During the aborted takeoff, the airplane impacted a visual approach slope indicator (VASI) and its associated power supply.
Gusting winds of up to 16 knots were observed at the time of the incident.

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The airplane was substantially damaged at 1725 Eastern time during an aborted takeoff. The student pilot was not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

The student pilot reported successfully completing three takeoff-and-landings before attempting a soft-field takeoff. The airplane began to veer left as the nose gear lifted off the runway. He attempted to correct with right rudder but was unable to regain directional control and decided to abort the takeoff. The airplane impacted a visual approach slope indicator and its associated power-supply box during the aborted takeoff. Observed winds were from 160 degrees at eight knots, gusting to 16.