August 07, Odenton, Md. / Piper Cherokee 140

At 10:00 eastern time, a Piper PA-28-140 was damaged during an aborted takeoff from Tipton Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot told investigators he was having problems with his airspeed indicator and asked a mechanic to inspect the pitot/static system. The mechanic inspected the system and the pilot planned to perform high speed taxis to test the system. The pilot reported the pre-flight runup was normal. The pilot made one pass down the runway without seeing an acceptable airspeed indication. On the second attempt, the airplane began lifting off with about 1,000 feet remaining, so he decided to take off. At 300 to 400 feet agl, the engine RPM dropped to about 1,500. He then put the airplane down on pavement to the north of the runway, damaging all three landing gear, the propeller and the firewall. Examination revealed the fuel system contaminated with debris. An overhauled engine had been installed a month earlier.