What happened
The pilot was conducting a cross-country flight after having purchased the aircraft only one day prior to the accident. While the pilot possessed moderate experience with the type, he lacked recent flight time, having logged only 9 hours in the aircraft during the preceding 90 days.
During the takeoff roll, the pilot moved the yoke to a full forward position with the intention of returning it to neutral once the tail lifted. However, as the tail came up, the pilot found he was unable to move the yoke aft to the neutral position. This resulted in the aircraft pitching nose down and performing a nose-over.
The investigation
Post-accident examination of the flight control system revealed no mechanical discrepancies. According to the manufacturer, if the stabilizer trim is set within the proper takeoff range, the aircraft cannot rotate to such an extreme nose-down attitude during the takeoff roll. The manufacturer further noted that if the trim is positioned nose-down and outside of the takeoff range, the aircraft will pitch down and the yoke becomes difficult to move aft. The manufacturer also stated that the only other way to produce this specific type of event is through the application of brakes during the takeoff roll.