What happened
The pilot operated an aircraft from a sod airstrip under wet conditions. Due to the saturated state of the surface, the pilot elected to utilize only the final 1,000 feet of the available strip for the takeoff roll. During acceleration, the pilot determined that the remaining runway was insufficient to complete the maneuver safely and initiated an aborted takeoff.
Despite the decision to abort, the aircraft was unable to come to a halt within the remaining distance. The pilot then resumed the attempt to become airborne. As the aircraft lifted off at an approximate altitude of 15 feet above ground level, it collided with trees standing 20 to 25 feet tall. The impact resulted in the separation of the left wing from the airframe.
The investigation
The physical evidence indicated that the sod strip was wet at the time of the incident. The aircraft sustained significant damage to the left wing structure due to contact with vegetation during the initial climb phase after the aborted takeoff attempt.