Accident Description
During the takeoff initial climb from a private airstrip, the airplane descended into terrain. The accident occurred in dark night conditions, approximately one hour after sunset. The pilot reported that the four passengers had been flown to the departure airport earlier in the day. After several hours at the destination, the pilot and passengers boarded the airplane and waited for two other airplanes to depart.
Maneuver and Collision
During the initial climb, the pilot banked the airplane to the right. This maneuver was a standard departure procedure, attributed to upsloping terrain in the opposite direction (left) and noise abatement concerns. The airplane collided with gradually upsloping terrain and came to rest upright. The pilot stated that he did not believe he had experienced a loss of power.
Pilot Experience
In his written report, the pilot indicated that he had only 10 hours of total night flying experience.