Event Details
During the takeoff roll on a dry lake bed, the aircraft struck a sand bank. The impact caused the nose to rise, and the aircraft came down hard on the left main landing gear. The left wing sustained damage, resulting in a fuel leak. A flash fire started, and the aircraft was subsequently consumed by fire before emergency services could intervene.
Evacuation
The occupants of the aircraft and a dog were able to exit the aircraft uninjured prior to the fire spreading significantly. All individuals escaped without reported injuries.
Preflight Preparations
Prior to the flight, the pilot and his friends had attempted to smooth the lake bed surface. They filled ruts and measured the smoothest section to serve as a makeshift runway. The allocated strip measured 900 feet in length. The pilot calculated the aircraft's takeoff distance at gross weight to be 830 feet.
Pilot's Account
The pilot stated that he believed the aircraft had become airborne when the left wheel impacted a rise in the terrain just beyond the departure end of the prepared strip. This encounter with the terrain irregularity appears to have precipitated the sequence of events leading to the collision with the sand bank and subsequent fire.