What happened
During the takeoff roll, the pilot noted that while the aircraft reached 60 MPH as expected, it took longer than normal to accelerate to 80 MPH. The aircraft achieved liftoff successfully, but the pilot observed an inadequate climb performance.
After retracting the landing gear, the pilot lowered the nose at approximately 30 to 35 feet above the runway to accelerate to the best angle of climb airspeed. Rather than accelerating and maintaining altitude, the aircraft began to descend. The pilot subsequently cut the power. As the aircraft touched down, the nose and left main landing gear collapsed.
Findings
The accident occurred at a high-altitude airport with a pressure altitude of 7,489 feet and a temperature of 48 degrees Fahrenheit. The takeoff was performed on Runway 24, which features a 1.9-degree incline (a 117-foot rise). The pilot did not utilize flaps for the takeoff. Notably, performance data for these specific atmospheric conditions would fall outside the limits of the provided charts; the available documentation warns that performance information derived by extrapolating beyond chart limits should not be used for flight planning.