What happened
A recently certificated commercial pilot attempted to take off in an aircraft loaded to approximately its maximum certificated gross weight. The takeoff was attempted on a 4,000-foot runway, despite an 8,000-foot runway being available. The ambient temperature was 98 degrees Fahrenheit.
During the ground roll, the pilot overrotated the aircraft, causing the tail skid to scrape the runway surface. The pilot then elected to abort the takeoff; however, there was insufficient distance remaining to bring the aircraft to a complete stop. The aircraft overran the departure end of the runway, collided with a fence and a dirt bank, and subsequently caught on fire. There were no injuries reported.
Findings
Analysis of performance data indicated that the aircraft might have successfully completed the takeoff using the shorter runway if the pilot had used proper control inputs and utilized two notches of wing flaps instead of one. Prior to this flight, the pilot's total experience as pilot-in-command in this specific aircraft type was 1.0 hour.