What happened
A witness at a hangar heard the pilot communicate via radio, asking if the coffee was on. After being told it was, the pilot stated they would come in. Shortly thereafter, the witness heard a loud engine sound followed by the sound of breaking objects. Upon exiting the hangar, the witness observed the airplane performing a level, gradual climb away from the hangar. The aircraft then entered a left turn and roll. After reaching the top of its climb, the airplane descended straight down in a continuous roll and spin.
The investigation
An examination of the accident site showed that the tops of three water birch trees were sheared off approximately 25 feet above their bases. These trees were located 75 feet from the southeast edge of a ramp on the northeast side of the airport. The outboard 4 feet of the aircraft's left wing was recovered on the ramp, roughly 130 feet from the impacted trees. Debris, including pieces of tree trunks, branches, and the left aileron, was found fanned out in a southwesterly direction from the trees. No other anomalies were identified during the examination.