Accident Narrative
The pilot reported that during a familiarization flight with a flight instructor in a recently purchased, retractable landing gear-equipped airplane, while demonstrating a soft field takeoff, the tower controller cleared him for takeoff "with no delay." He quickly taxied the airplane to the runway centerline, applied power, and pulled back on the yoke. In retrospect, the back pressure used was too abrupt. The airplane entered ground effect about 10 knots slower than normal and was unable to maintain flight in ground effect. The pilot was struggling to maintain runway heading. The airplane touched down "abruptly several times." The airplane drifted to the left, and the pilot thought he had a positive rate of climb, so he retracted the landing gear. Additionally, he was "too aggressive" with control inputs and "caused a stall." The left wing struck the taxiway, and the airplane came to rest on the ramp. The pilot reported that the instructor did not take the flight controls.
The flight instructor did not provide a statement to the NTSB.
Aircraft Damage
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing.
Mechanical Condition
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Weather Information
The airport's automated weather observation station reported that, about 5 minutes after the accident, the wind was from 090° at 13 knots. The pilot was departing on runway 04L.