Accident Details
The airplane was destroyed when it collided with trees and terrain during takeoff from a private, uncontrolled airport with two grass runways. The departure runway, 35, was 2,000 feet long and 80 feet wide. Runway 1/19 was 2,500 feet long.
Witness Accounts
A witness stated, "After the run up, he started his take off roll. ... I noticed he was in trouble because he rotated very late and I could see the entire top of the A/C [aircraft]. He immediately pushed over to get more airspeed. The A/C was mushing along and fell off in a left wing low stall (I think he was stalled)."
A passenger reported hearing the stall warning horn go off during takeoff. She stated that after the airplane became airborne, the stall warning horn sounded again. She noted that the wing dipped left and then hard right, and the airplane seemed low. She said the engine did not sound right. She looked up and saw trees approaching, recalled the plane going down, and noted that the airplane was not responding the way the pilot wanted. She reported that the airplane hit the ground and slid inverted.
Weather and Conditions
Local weather conditions were: wind 060 degrees at 3 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; sky clear; temperature 33 degrees C; dew point 14 degrees C; altimeter 30.00 inches of mercury. The calculated local density altitude was 3,124 feet.
Aircraft Examination
An on-scene examination revealed flight and engine control continuity. The propeller exhibited leading edge nicks and chordwise abrasions. A liquid smelling like fuel was found in the left wing's fuel tank and in the gascolator. The flaps were found retracted. The engine produced thumb compression at all cylinders when the crankshaft was rotated by hand. Both magnetos produced sparks at their spark plug wire ends when rotated by hand. No anomalies were detected.
Manual Information
The owner's manual stated, "Using 20 [degrees] wing flaps reduces the ground run and total distance over the obstacle by approximately 20 per cent."