Accident Details
On the day of the accident, the pilot and three passengers were departing from a mountain airport. The density altitude was approximately 7,542 feet. Ground witnesses observed the airplane rotate at mid-field, assume a nose-high attitude, and climb to an estimated 100 feet above the runway. The airplane then continued past the departure end of the runway without gaining additional altitude and entered a left turn. Subsequently, the airplane rolled to the left and impacted the ground inverted. A postcrash fire caused damage to the airplane.
Pilot Information
The pilot in command (PIC) was a military pilot with a total flight time of 288 hours, of which 144 hours were logged as helicopter time. About four months before the accident, the PIC was issued an FAA commercial pilot certificate based on his military competence. Approximately one month before the accident, he completed a checkout in the accident airplane. By the time of the accident, he had accumulated about 11 hours of flight time in the Cessna 172RG.
Aircraft Examination
Postcrash examination revealed that the elevator trim tab was set at 10 degrees tab down. Normal takeoff elevator trim is about neutral or zero degrees. The airplane was estimated to be 32 pounds over its maximum gross weight at the time of the accident. No preimpact malfunction or failure of the airplane was found that would have resulted in the accident.