What happened
Shortly after departing Runway 27, the pilot of a Piper PA-24-250 notified the airport via UNICOM that the aircraft was returning to the airport due to an unspecified emergency. Witnesses observed the aircraft in a steep left bank and a nose-down attitude immediately before it impacted the terrain located west of the departure end of Runway 27.
The pilot had owned the aircraft for 11 days prior to the accident and possessed 9 hours of flight experience in this specific airplane.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft's fuel configuration and found that the fuel selectors were set to the wing tip tank position. According to the FAA-approved airplane flight manual supplement for the installation of Brittain Industries wing tip fuel tanks on Piper PA-24-250 aircraft, fuel from the wing tip tanks is intended for use during level flight only.