What happened
The aircraft was involved in a crash during the second of two aborted takeoff attempts. The pilot reported that the airplane did not accelerate properly during the first attempt and that the engine lost power during the second attempt. Ground witnesses observed that the air conditioner condenser door was open and that the flaps were up during both takeoff attempts. The pilot stated that he had turned off the air conditioner and deployed 10 degrees of flaps prior to the second attempt.
The investigation
Examination of the wreckage confirmed that the air conditioner condenser door remained open and that the compressor clutch was disengaged from the engine. The flaps were found in the up position. Calculations determined that the aircraft was approximately 300 pounds over the maximum gross takeoff weight. These calculations also indicated that the aircraft would require a ground roll of 2600 feet to become airborne and a total distance of 4700 feet to clear a 50-foot obstacle. The runway had a published length of 4020 feet with an additional 200 feet of overrun, but trees were located at the departure end.
Findings
The excessive weight and the open air conditioner condenser door contributed to the inability to accelerate and climb. The aircraft was overweight for the available runway length, making it impossible to clear the obstacles at the end of the runway.