What happened
The aircraft experienced a nose-over incident while attempting to depart from the airfield. According to the pilot's account, the decision was made to initiate takeoff toward the south because there was no wind present at the time. During the ground roll, the pilot noted that the acceleration was slower than expected for the conditions.
As the aircraft continued down the runway with insufficient speed buildup, the pilot decided to abort the departure. He closed the throttle and applied heavy braking in an attempt to stop the aircraft safely. The sudden application of brakes caused the aircraft to bounce on the runway surface. This impact resulted in the nose gear collapsing, leading to the aircraft nosing over forward.
The investigation
Post-accident examination revealed that the aircraft sustained significant damage as a result of the nose-over. Despite the structural damage to the airframe, the occupants were not injured during the event. The pilot's statement confirmed that the primary factor in the sequence of events was the delayed recognition of slow acceleration during the takeoff roll.
Findings
The accident was caused by the pilot's decision to abort the takeoff after accelerating too slowly. The heavy braking applied to stop the aircraft led to a bounce and subsequent collapse of the nose gear. Contributing factors included the lack of wind, which may have affected performance expectations, and the pilot's judgment in continuing the takeoff roll until it was no longer safe to abort.