According to a witness, while standing at his work place watching the airplane takeoff, a slight gust of wind came across the airfield. He stated that the airplane was two to three feet off the ground when the left wing dipped, hit the runway, and caused the airplane to cart wheel several times.

According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the upper left wing was ripped off from the aircraft during impact. The right wing was still attached to the fuselage. Sections of wood chips from the wings were scattered for approximately 100 feet from the point of impact to the final resting spot. There was no post crash fire or evidence of fuel leakage at the scene.

According to an Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) mechanic who started an annual inspection on the airplane but did not complete it stated that he had provided the pilot with a list of items that needed to be corrected before the inspection could be signed off. The A&P said that he found the airplane to be in pretty good shape during the inspection. However, he was concerned about the tension on the wing flying wires which appeared to be very loose especially the left side. The A&P mechanic presented his findings to the pilot, and asked him to contact the aircraft manufacturer to obtain the tension specifications on the wires. A note was made by the A&P in the inspection checklist and the discrepancy list.

According to the A&P the pilot was anxious to take his aircraft so he started adjusting the tension on the flying wire cables himself. The cables on the left wing remained loose even after adjusting the turnbuckles. The A&P recommended to the pilot that the cables be cut and re-swaged to which the pilot declined. On the day of the accident, the pilot taxied his airplane away from A&P’s property, without having any of the discrepancies corrected.

Examination of the right wing flying wires by the FAA Inspector found the three turnbuckles were still attached to the main fuselage frame. The left wing flying cables were not attached to the main fuselage frame. However, the bolt with the nut was attached to the fuselage frame.

The left wing flying wires attachment fitting, which holds the three flying wire turnbuckles and fastens to the main frame on the fuselage, appeared to be oblong. Other than signs of scrapping on the attachment fitting, there were no signs of cracking or separation on the fitting. Further examination of the left main wing bracket on the fuselage showed signs of bare metal and scrapes. The FAA Inspector inserted the attachment fitting behind the bolt on the main frame. With a little force, the attachment fitting could be pushed pass the bolt.

Due to the pilot’s injuries and the medically induced coma, the pilot was unable to complete the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report.