Accident Sequence
The pilot was conducting a takeoff northbound from a 1,500-foot grass airstrip. A non-rated passenger seated in the left seat reported that the tail wheel lifted off the ground at the midpoint of the airstrip. The pilot added that the aircraft became airborne with slightly less than one-third of the runway remaining.
During the initial climb, the main landing gear struck the top of a four-strand barbed wire fence located at the end of the airstrip. The aircraft decelerated and subsequently touched down in a muddy plowed field just north of the airstrip boundary. After rolling approximately 40 yards, the main landing gear tires sank into the soft ground, causing the airplane to nose over.
Pilot Comments
In a telephone interview after the accident, the pilot stated that due to recent rains, the north-south oriented grass airstrip was soggy and mushy. Nevertheless, the pilot believed the aircraft would have had no problem clearing the marked 4-foot-tall barbed wire fence at the departure end of the airstrip.