Narrative:

I was practicing pattern work and touch and goes at corona municipal airport (ajo) with my CFI on board, who has 2 yrs of teaching experience. I had about 8 hours of total flight instruction with him and on that day we had probably been flying for 30 mins. While on final approach, he wanted to quote a regulation, but was unable to remember the exact wording. Being confident with my last few lndgs, he reached into the back of the plane to pull out my copy of the far. During the landing, he kept watch over my progress, but was also attempting to locate the needed information in the far. On this landing, I ended up a bit further down the runway than I had at other times and there was a bit more rollout before attempting to take off again. I turned off the carburetor heat, reset the flaps and applied full power. Meanwhile, my CFI was still looking through the far and not watching our progress down the runway. I watched as the groundspeed increased and started my rotation at the appropriate speed. The plane did not seem to react as it had in the past and even though I was adding back pressure, it did not seem to be leaving the ground. I looked down the runway and got a very strong feeling that things were not right and there was not enough distance for us to clear a line of trees at the end of the runway. At this point, I muttered an expletive which got my CFI's attention and his head out of the book. He quickly took the controls, pulled power and started to abort the takeoff. We were pretty much standing on the brakes and working to keep control. This trainer has a pretty touchy throttle by the way and during the chaos, it got bumped back in adding power, which did not help the situation. We ended up getting the plane stopped in time but we were at the very end of the runway. Our nosewheel had to go into the dirt for us to turn to the taxiway. The lesson continued for another 30 mins and afterwards we held a debriefing. He said he had watched us reach the proper rotation speed and as I started to pull back, he went back to looking into the book. An exact cause was never determined, but some probable causes were that I was on the brakes a bit during takeoff, didn't give enough back pressure or reacted too quickly. My CFI reassured me that he was in the wrong for being distraction with the book and overall it was a big learning experience for both of us.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C150 STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR PLT WENT OFF THE FAR END OF THE RWY AFTER THE INSTRUCTOR PLT WAS ATTEMPTING TO LOOK UP AN FAR IN THE FAR BOOK.

Narrative: I WAS PRACTICING PATTERN WORK AND TOUCH AND GOES AT CORONA MUNICIPAL ARPT (AJO) WITH MY CFI ON BOARD, WHO HAS 2 YRS OF TEACHING EXPERIENCE. I HAD ABOUT 8 HRS OF TOTAL FLT INSTRUCTION WITH HIM AND ON THAT DAY WE HAD PROBABLY BEEN FLYING FOR 30 MINS. WHILE ON FINAL APCH, HE WANTED TO QUOTE A REG, BUT WAS UNABLE TO REMEMBER THE EXACT WORDING. BEING CONFIDENT WITH MY LAST FEW LNDGS, HE REACHED INTO THE BACK OF THE PLANE TO PULL OUT MY COPY OF THE FAR. DURING THE LNDG, HE KEPT WATCH OVER MY PROGRESS, BUT WAS ALSO ATTEMPTING TO LOCATE THE NEEDED INFO IN THE FAR. ON THIS LNDG, I ENDED UP A BIT FURTHER DOWN THE RWY THAN I HAD AT OTHER TIMES AND THERE WAS A BIT MORE ROLLOUT BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO TAKE OFF AGAIN. I TURNED OFF THE CARB HEAT, RESET THE FLAPS AND APPLIED FULL PWR. MEANWHILE, MY CFI WAS STILL LOOKING THROUGH THE FAR AND NOT WATCHING OUR PROGRESS DOWN THE RWY. I WATCHED AS THE GROUNDSPEED INCREASED AND STARTED MY ROTATION AT THE APPROPRIATE SPD. THE PLANE DID NOT SEEM TO REACT AS IT HAD IN THE PAST AND EVEN THOUGH I WAS ADDING BACK PRESSURE, IT DID NOT SEEM TO BE LEAVING THE GND. I LOOKED DOWN THE RWY AND GOT A VERY STRONG FEELING THAT THINGS WERE NOT RIGHT AND THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH DISTANCE FOR US TO CLR A LINE OF TREES AT THE END OF THE RWY. AT THIS POINT, I MUTTERED AN EXPLETIVE WHICH GOT MY CFI'S ATTN AND HIS HEAD OUT OF THE BOOK. HE QUICKLY TOOK THE CTLS, PULLED PWR AND STARTED TO ABORT THE TKOF. WE WERE PRETTY MUCH STANDING ON THE BRAKES AND WORKING TO KEEP CTL. THIS TRAINER HAS A PRETTY TOUCHY THROTTLE BY THE WAY AND DURING THE CHAOS, IT GOT BUMPED BACK IN ADDING PWR, WHICH DID NOT HELP THE SIT. WE ENDED UP GETTING THE PLANE STOPPED IN TIME BUT WE WERE AT THE VERY END OF THE RWY. OUR NOSEWHEEL HAD TO GO INTO THE DIRT FOR US TO TURN TO THE TXWY. THE LESSON CONTINUED FOR ANOTHER 30 MINS AND AFTERWARDS WE HELD A DEBRIEFING. HE SAID HE HAD WATCHED US REACH THE PROPER ROTATION SPD AND AS I STARTED TO PULL BACK, HE WENT BACK TO LOOKING INTO THE BOOK. AN EXACT CAUSE WAS NEVER DETERMINED, BUT SOME PROBABLE CAUSES WERE THAT I WAS ON THE BRAKES A BIT DURING TKOF, DIDN'T GIVE ENOUGH BACK PRESSURE OR REACTED TOO QUICKLY. MY CFI REASSURED ME THAT HE WAS IN THE WRONG FOR BEING DISTR WITH THE BOOK AND OVERALL IT WAS A BIG LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR BOTH OF US.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.