What happened
On Tuesday, August 21, a pilot flew an aircraft to Fullerton, noting no discrepancies during the flight. The airplane was fully fueled, and all checks during preflight, taxi, and engine run-up were normal.
During the takeoff roll, the pilot applied full throttle, observing 38.5 inches of manifold pressure at 2,500 rpm while crosschecking instruments and alignment. As the aircraft approached midfield, the pilot noted that while the airspeed was above 65 knots, it was not increasing. Although the manifold pressure remained constant, the engine rpm had dropped by approximately 100 rpm to below 2,500. The pilot reported no engine hesitation or metallic sounds, but noted the airplane did not feel or sound as though it was accelerating.
Upon passing midfield, the pilot elected to abort the takeoff and pulled the throttle back. The aircraft could not be stopped within the runway limits and collided with an airport boundary fence approximately 20 feet past the end of the runway. The impact sheared off the landing gear and caused substantial damage to the left wing.
The investigation
During a post-accident examination, the pilot started the engine using normal procedures. The propeller cycled normally, and both magnetos showed a 50 rpm drop during the magneto check. When the pilot ran the engine up to full takeoff power, all instruments—including manifold pressure and rpm—reached their maximum redline limits. After reducing power to idle and returning to full power, no further anomalies were noted. The pilot was able to secure the engine using normal procedures without difficulty.