Narrative:

It was a beautiful sunny day and since I have been working on my instrument rating I chose to go on a brief VFR flight to enjoy the scenery. I rented a C150 from the local FBO where I received my private pilot's license from. I did a thorough preflight and found the aircraft to be airworthy. There was some light frost on the wings and surfaces and I brushed them down very thoroughly with a broom to remove as much as I could. I started the plane, taxied to runway 15 and did a run-up. The tower cleared me to take off and I applied full power and began my takeoff. 1/2 way down the runway and past vr, the plane just didn't 'feel' like it was developing enough lift and I aborted the takeoff. Unfortunately, the runway was covered in patchy ice and braking was poor. I subsequently was unable to stop in time and slid off the end of the runway, despite having plenty of runway to stop in under normal circumstances. My analysis of the incident has led me to a number of conclusions: 1) having always had wing covers on aircraft I'd flown previously, I was a little uncomfortable with the frost on the wings. I brushed it very well but it was still a concern in the back of my mind. 2) I hadn't flown a C150 in about 2 months. I had been flying C172's while working on my instrument rating, so I was not totally used to flying it, but I felt comfortable enough to make the flight. 3) I chose runway 15, which is 2600 ft long, instead of runway 6, which is 4000 ft long, out of habit because it is closer to the FBO and the one I used most of the time in previous flts. 4) I still question whether my decision to abort was the correct choice. While the plane didn't 'feel' like it was going to lift off soon, I may not have pulled back far enough on the yoke. The frost I had brushed down so well was still a concern to me and as soon as I 'felt' like the plane wasn't going to fly, I decided to abort. Other pilots who saw the plane afterwards said that I should have had no problem developing lift with how well the wings had been brushed. If I had taken the longer runway, I wouldn't have felt the urgency to abort with the extra runway ahead of me and might have taken off just fine. But then again, I might not have, and I didn't want to hit the end of the runway going fast. My comfort with the aircraft and habit of using the runway I chose along with my apprehension of having any kind of frost on the wing and lack of recent time in the model of plane were all contributing factors. I have certainly learned a lot from this experience. I will always take the longest runway available from now on, and if I am apprehensive about something like the frost, I will either consult others about my concerns, or cancel the flight. I will also be more vigilant about being complacent and doing things out of habit rather than stopping and thinking them through.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C150 PLT GOES OFF THE END OF A 2600 FT RWY ON A FROSTY DAY AFTER PURPORTING TO HAVE REMOVED FROST FROM WINGS DURING PREFLT. RWY CONDITION WAS PATCHY ICE.

Narrative: IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL SUNNY DAY AND SINCE I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON MY INST RATING I CHOSE TO GO ON A BRIEF VFR FLT TO ENJOY THE SCENERY. I RENTED A C150 FROM THE LCL FBO WHERE I RECEIVED MY PVT PLT'S LICENSE FROM. I DID A THOROUGH PREFLT AND FOUND THE ACFT TO BE AIRWORTHY. THERE WAS SOME LIGHT FROST ON THE WINGS AND SURFACES AND I BRUSHED THEM DOWN VERY THOROUGHLY WITH A BROOM TO REMOVE AS MUCH AS I COULD. I STARTED THE PLANE, TAXIED TO RWY 15 AND DID A RUN-UP. THE TWR CLRED ME TO TAKE OFF AND I APPLIED FULL PWR AND BEGAN MY TKOF. 1/2 WAY DOWN THE RWY AND PAST VR, THE PLANE JUST DIDN'T 'FEEL' LIKE IT WAS DEVELOPING ENOUGH LIFT AND I ABORTED THE TKOF. UNFORTUNATELY, THE RWY WAS COVERED IN PATCHY ICE AND BRAKING WAS POOR. I SUBSEQUENTLY WAS UNABLE TO STOP IN TIME AND SLID OFF THE END OF THE RWY, DESPITE HAVING PLENTY OF RWY TO STOP IN UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES. MY ANALYSIS OF THE INCIDENT HAS LED ME TO A NUMBER OF CONCLUSIONS: 1) HAVING ALWAYS HAD WING COVERS ON ACFT I'D FLOWN PREVIOUSLY, I WAS A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE FROST ON THE WINGS. I BRUSHED IT VERY WELL BUT IT WAS STILL A CONCERN IN THE BACK OF MY MIND. 2) I HADN'T FLOWN A C150 IN ABOUT 2 MONTHS. I HAD BEEN FLYING C172'S WHILE WORKING ON MY INST RATING, SO I WAS NOT TOTALLY USED TO FLYING IT, BUT I FELT COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO MAKE THE FLT. 3) I CHOSE RWY 15, WHICH IS 2600 FT LONG, INSTEAD OF RWY 6, WHICH IS 4000 FT LONG, OUT OF HABIT BECAUSE IT IS CLOSER TO THE FBO AND THE ONE I USED MOST OF THE TIME IN PREVIOUS FLTS. 4) I STILL QUESTION WHETHER MY DECISION TO ABORT WAS THE CORRECT CHOICE. WHILE THE PLANE DIDN'T 'FEEL' LIKE IT WAS GOING TO LIFT OFF SOON, I MAY NOT HAVE PULLED BACK FAR ENOUGH ON THE YOKE. THE FROST I HAD BRUSHED DOWN SO WELL WAS STILL A CONCERN TO ME AND AS SOON AS I 'FELT' LIKE THE PLANE WASN'T GOING TO FLY, I DECIDED TO ABORT. OTHER PLTS WHO SAW THE PLANE AFTERWARDS SAID THAT I SHOULD HAVE HAD NO PROB DEVELOPING LIFT WITH HOW WELL THE WINGS HAD BEEN BRUSHED. IF I HAD TAKEN THE LONGER RWY, I WOULDN'T HAVE FELT THE URGENCY TO ABORT WITH THE EXTRA RWY AHEAD OF ME AND MIGHT HAVE TAKEN OFF JUST FINE. BUT THEN AGAIN, I MIGHT NOT HAVE, AND I DIDN'T WANT TO HIT THE END OF THE RWY GOING FAST. MY COMFORT WITH THE ACFT AND HABIT OF USING THE RWY I CHOSE ALONG WITH MY APPREHENSION OF HAVING ANY KIND OF FROST ON THE WING AND LACK OF RECENT TIME IN THE MODEL OF PLANE WERE ALL CONTRIBUTING FACTORS. I HAVE CERTAINLY LEARNED A LOT FROM THIS EXPERIENCE. I WILL ALWAYS TAKE THE LONGEST RWY AVAILABLE FROM NOW ON, AND IF I AM APPREHENSIVE ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THE FROST, I WILL EITHER CONSULT OTHERS ABOUT MY CONCERNS, OR CANCEL THE FLT. I WILL ALSO BE MORE VIGILANT ABOUT BEING COMPLACENT AND DOING THINGS OUT OF HABIT RATHER THAN STOPPING AND THINKING THEM THROUGH.

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.