Narrative:

WX: perfect for VFR. Runway: part pavement (1ST 1000 ft), part gravel, pretty narrow and more than long enough to take off on. A runway commonly used by 'bush' pilots. Weight and center of gravity within limits. I just got my commercial single engine a couple of weeks prior, and I had practiced several soft field takeoffs in various airplanes, but this was my first one for real. Taxi: normal/uneventful/completed all checklist. Once I was ready to take off, I set takeoff power, released the brakes and headed down the runway. The majority of my scan was spent outside staying on centerline and keeping the nose up so as not to bury the nose in the gravel. As airspeed increased my scan broke down. I determined, via outside visual reference, that I was at (or above) liftoff speed and I began to rotate. The plane felt sluggish as I pulled back and slowly climbed. I held this attitude until I was about 20 ft off of the ground. Then I felt a loss of some roll authority/authorized and the wings started a slight rock (early signs of a power on stall). I quickly looked at my airspeed and saw that I was at stall speed. I had either over-rotated or rotated too early. I released back yoke pressure and even programmed in some forward yoke to build airspeed and prevent a stall. This caused the plane to gradually descend back towards the runway as airspeed rapidly built up. I had gained sufficient airspeed for a flared landing back on the runway. Now I was faced with the decision to abort or continue. I determined that it would be safer to continue (since I now had adequate airspeed) than to initiate a high speed abort on the gravel portion of the runway. After 2-3 seconds more on the runway I rotated and climbed out. The rest of the flight was uneventful. Upon landing at our destination I discovered that the right wing had clipped a branch of a tree (probably when the wings rocked on takeoff). I was completely unaware of any damage until that point. I believe the cause of this incident was 3-FOLD. Loss of scan. This wouldn't have happened if I had kept airspeed in my scan. Although I have practiced several soft field takeoffs on regular runways, I had never practiced one in this model of aircraft. I may have put myself in a situation that I was not ready for, or should have practiced more of. I believe this to be the biggest learning point: almost 90% of my flight time has been on runways that are 200 ft wide. I completely underestimated the visual illusion created by being on a very narrow runway when you are used to wide ones. This is where soft field takeoff practices fall way short. On the narrow runway, I was affected by a visual illusion that gave me the feeling that I was going almost twice as fast as I was. This was compounded by a breakdown in scan causing a premature rotation. The difference between very narrow and large runways and the visual illusions that come with it was almost incomprehensible until I saw it for myself.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CESSNA 182 PLT MAKING A SOFT FIELD TKOF FROM A NARROW UNIMPROVED RWY, STRUCK TREE WITH WING AS HE LOST CTL DURING PREMATURE LIFTOFF AND SETTLED BACK TO THE RWY DURING RECOVERY AND SUBSEQUENT INITIAL CLBOUT.

Narrative: WX: PERFECT FOR VFR. RWY: PART PAVEMENT (1ST 1000 FT), PART GRAVEL, PRETTY NARROW AND MORE THAN LONG ENOUGH TO TAKE OFF ON. A RWY COMMONLY USED BY 'BUSH' PLTS. WT AND CTR OF GRAVITY WITHIN LIMITS. I JUST GOT MY COMMERCIAL SINGLE ENG A COUPLE OF WKS PRIOR, AND I HAD PRACTICED SEVERAL SOFT FIELD TKOFS IN VARIOUS AIRPLANES, BUT THIS WAS MY FIRST ONE FOR REAL. TAXI: NORMAL/UNEVENTFUL/COMPLETED ALL CHKLIST. ONCE I WAS READY TO TAKE OFF, I SET TKOF PWR, RELEASED THE BRAKES AND HEADED DOWN THE RWY. THE MAJORITY OF MY SCAN WAS SPENT OUTSIDE STAYING ON CTRLINE AND KEEPING THE NOSE UP SO AS NOT TO BURY THE NOSE IN THE GRAVEL. AS AIRSPD INCREASED MY SCAN BROKE DOWN. I DETERMINED, VIA OUTSIDE VISUAL REF, THAT I WAS AT (OR ABOVE) LIFTOFF SPD AND I BEGAN TO ROTATE. THE PLANE FELT SLUGGISH AS I PULLED BACK AND SLOWLY CLBED. I HELD THIS ATTITUDE UNTIL I WAS ABOUT 20 FT OFF OF THE GND. THEN I FELT A LOSS OF SOME ROLL AUTH AND THE WINGS STARTED A SLIGHT ROCK (EARLY SIGNS OF A PWR ON STALL). I QUICKLY LOOKED AT MY AIRSPD AND SAW THAT I WAS AT STALL SPD. I HAD EITHER OVER-ROTATED OR ROTATED TOO EARLY. I RELEASED BACK YOKE PRESSURE AND EVEN PROGRAMMED IN SOME FORWARD YOKE TO BUILD AIRSPD AND PREVENT A STALL. THIS CAUSED THE PLANE TO GRADUALLY DSND BACK TOWARDS THE RWY AS AIRSPD RAPIDLY BUILT UP. I HAD GAINED SUFFICIENT AIRSPD FOR A FLARED LNDG BACK ON THE RWY. NOW I WAS FACED WITH THE DECISION TO ABORT OR CONTINUE. I DETERMINED THAT IT WOULD BE SAFER TO CONTINUE (SINCE I NOW HAD ADEQUATE AIRSPD) THAN TO INITIATE A HIGH SPD ABORT ON THE GRAVEL PORTION OF THE RWY. AFTER 2-3 SECONDS MORE ON THE RWY I ROTATED AND CLBED OUT. THE REST OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. UPON LNDG AT OUR DEST I DISCOVERED THAT THE R WING HAD CLIPPED A BRANCH OF A TREE (PROBABLY WHEN THE WINGS ROCKED ON TKOF). I WAS COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF ANY DAMAGE UNTIL THAT POINT. I BELIEVE THE CAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT WAS 3-FOLD. LOSS OF SCAN. THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED IF I HAD KEPT AIRSPD IN MY SCAN. ALTHOUGH I HAVE PRACTICED SEVERAL SOFT FIELD TKOFS ON REGULAR RWYS, I HAD NEVER PRACTICED ONE IN THIS MODEL OF ACFT. I MAY HAVE PUT MYSELF IN A SIT THAT I WAS NOT READY FOR, OR SHOULD HAVE PRACTICED MORE OF. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE THE BIGGEST LEARNING POINT: ALMOST 90% OF MY FLT TIME HAS BEEN ON RWYS THAT ARE 200 FT WIDE. I COMPLETELY UNDERESTIMATED THE VISUAL ILLUSION CREATED BY BEING ON A VERY NARROW RWY WHEN YOU ARE USED TO WIDE ONES. THIS IS WHERE SOFT FIELD TKOF PRACTICES FALL WAY SHORT. ON THE NARROW RWY, I WAS AFFECTED BY A VISUAL ILLUSION THAT GAVE ME THE FEELING THAT I WAS GOING ALMOST TWICE AS FAST AS I WAS. THIS WAS COMPOUNDED BY A BREAKDOWN IN SCAN CAUSING A PREMATURE ROTATION. THE DIFFERENCE BTWN VERY NARROW AND LARGE RWYS AND THE VISUAL ILLUSIONS THAT COME WITH IT WAS ALMOST INCOMPREHENSIBLE UNTIL I SAW IT FOR MYSELF.

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.