Accident Sequence
The aircraft, registered as N4708P, was being repositioned by its owner from a maintenance facility at Buffalo International Airport to Buffalo Airpark. Maintenance personnel at both locations indicated that the owner had attempted to cut costs by performing unauthorized repairs himself, and these repairs were not complete prior to departing Buffalo International Airport. The pilot of N4708P aborted his first takeoff, stating to the tower, '...I had a little miss.'
Witnesses reported that during the second takeoff, the aircraft climbed to about 50 feet then lost altitude with the nose pitching down. The rate of descent was arrested before ground contact, and a slow 'mushy' climb was initiated. The aircraft never exceeded 300 feet altitude during the five-mile flight to Buffalo Airpark.
Final Descent
The tower supervisor observed the aircraft oscillate nose up and down after extending the landing gear, followed by rolling to the right and spinning into the ground approximately one mile east of Buffalo Airpark.
Pilot Information
Investigation revealed the pilot had accumulated approximately 50 hours of time in PA-23's, 28 hours as pilot-in-command, and 5 hours in the last 90 days.