What happened
During the takeoff roll, the pilot experienced unexpected performance from the 1946 Ercoupe, noting that the aircraft was not accelerating as anticipated. Due to this discrepancy in acceleration, the pilot decided to abort the takeoff procedure. During the abort maneuver, the airplane veered off the left side of the runway and subsequently nosed over.
The investigation
The investigation revealed that the pilot had accumulated a total of 21 hours of experience specifically in the Ercoupe aircraft. All previous flights conducted in this type were performed on hard surface runways. This event marked the pilot's first departure from a grass strip while operating this specific airplane.
Findings
The primary factor contributing to the incident was the pilot's lack of familiarity with takeoff performance characteristics on grass surfaces. The decision to abort, combined with the different ground handling dynamics of the grass strip compared to hard pavement, led to the loss of directional control and the subsequent nose-over. The pilot's limited experience in this specific aircraft type on unimproved runways played a significant role in the outcome.