Accident Details
The airplane was departing from a grass airstrip. According to the pilot, he initiated a "short field takeoff," and the airplane became airborne between 800 and 1,000 feet down the 1,800-foot runway. While the airplane was between 10 and 30 feet above ground level, the pilot reported that he "detected an abnormal running sound of an engine." He then aborted the takeoff, and the airplane overran the end of the runway, subsequently contacting an embankment.
Passenger Account
The pilot-rated passenger provided additional observations. He stated that during the takeoff roll, it took "a while for the airspeed to come to life." When the airplane finally lifted off, the pilot determined that the airplane would not clear nearby trees and decided to abort the takeoff. The passenger also noted several prevailing conditions: high temperature, full fuel tanks, two occupants on board, no flaps deployed, no engine run-up performed, and the short grass strip.
Environmental Factors
The density altitude at the time of the event was calculated to be 3,545 feet. No other weather or environmental details were provided in the source.