What happened
The aircraft was being moved by its owner from a maintenance facility located at Buffalo International Airport to Buffalo Airpark. Maintenance staff at both locations reported that the owner had attempted to reduce expenses by conducting unauthorized repairs himself. These repairs were not finished before the aircraft departed Buffalo International.
The pilot of N4708P aborted his initial takeoff attempt, telling the tower controller that he had made a minor error. Witnesses observed that during the second takeoff, the plane climbed to approximately 50 feet before losing altitude with the nose pitching down. The descent rate was stopped just before hitting the ground, and the pilot initiated a slow, mushy climb.
The aircraft never exceeded 300 feet in altitude during the five-mile flight to Buffalo Airpark. A tower supervisor observed the plane oscillating nose up and down after extending the landing gear, followed by a roll to the right and a spin into the ground approximately one mile east of the airfield.
The investigation
An examination of the pilot's qualifications revealed that he had accumulated approximately 50 hours of time in Piper PA-23 aircraft. Of this total, only 28 hours were logged as pilot in command, and just 5 hours were flown within the last 90 days.
Findings
The investigation determined that the pilot's lack of recent experience contributed to the accident. The unauthorized repairs performed by the owner were incomplete at the time of departure. The aircraft stalled during a low-altitude maneuver after takeoff, leading to a spin and ground impact.