Introduction
On July 1, 2015, at approximately 2030 central daylight time, a Boeing A75N1 (PT17) airplane, registration N44SN, collided with power lines shortly after departing from Random Ranch Airstrip in Louisburg, Kansas. The pilot, who was the only person on board, reported no injuries. The aircraft, registered to a private individual in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, and operated by Aircraft Sales of Kansas City, Kansas, under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight, sustained substantial damage.
Sequence of Events
The flight was originating at the time of the accident and was destined for Miami County Airport (K81) in Paola, Kansas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. According to the pilot, the airplane was on consignment and he had been demonstrating it to a prospective purchaser at the rural agricultural airstrip. After shutting down the engine and conversing with the passenger, the pilot boarded alone, started the engine, and taxied to the south end of the runway. He did not perform an engine run-up or use carburetor heat before departing solo to the north.
After liftoff, at about the midpoint of the 2,000-foot-long dry grass runway and at an altitude of 20 to 30 feet, the pilot noted insufficient power; the engine was turning but not producing full power, and the airplane had stopped climbing. With the nose high, the pilot did not see approaching power lines. The airplane struck and severed the power lines, nosed down, and impacted a cornfield at the north end of the field.
Weather Conditions
At the time of the accident, temperature and dew point recorded at Johnson County Executive Airport (KOJC), about 20 miles north, were 28°C and 24°C, respectively. Plotting these values on the FAA's Carburetor Icing Prevention chart (SAIB CE-09-35) places the data point at the intersection of the blue (icing at glide and cruise power) and green (serious icing at glide power) envelopes. When questioned about carburetor ice, the pilot stated he did not believe it was a factor because the hot engine had been shut down for about 30 minutes and idled only a couple of minutes before takeoff.
Investigation
Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies.