Incident Summary
A pilot reported that after landing on a blacktop road, he chose to take off from an adjacent gravel road to avoid reflector posts near the wings. He estimated the available takeoff distance at 800 ft. The density altitude was approximately 9,150 ft. During the takeoff roll, the pilot decided to abort. While aborting, the aircraft departed the road at a curve, encountered a 3 to 4 ft drop in terrain, and nosed over.
Sequence of Events
The pilot initially landed on a blacktop road but opted for a gravel road for the departure because reflector posts on the blacktop road were too close to the aircraft's wings. He then positioned the aircraft off the road and calculated that he had about 800 ft of usable space for takeoff. Given the high density altitude of about 9,150 ft, the takeoff performance would have been degraded. Shortly after starting the takeoff roll, the pilot changed his mind and attempted to abort. During the abort procedure, the aircraft traveled beyond the road surface at a curve, went over a 3 to 4 ft drop in the ground, and subsequently nosed over.
Conditions
No information was provided regarding the aircraft type, registration, number of occupants, injuries, or damage. The time of day, weather conditions, and any air traffic control involvement were not specified. The pilot's account constitutes the sole source of information for this event.