What happened
On 08 July 2023, an Antonov AN-2, registration SE-KCE, was involved in an accident during a private flight near Vårgårda, Sweden. Following a ground stop at a field in Tumberg, the pilot prepared for a short flight. Due to obstacles such as buildings and lamp posts located to the west, the pilot elected to take off in an easterly direction. While the pilot believed the field was long enough to clear the trees located at the eastern end of the field, no formal performance calculations were performed to verify this assessment.
During the takeoff roll, the aircraft was subjected to a tailwind. As the aircraft reached lift-off, it rolled to the right and failed to climb as anticipated. The pilot attempted to maneuver the aircraft upward by pulling hard on the control yoke to clear the trees; however, the aircraft struck the trees and came to rest approximately two meters above the ground. There were no injuries among the one pilot and four passengers on board, though the aircraft sustained substantial damage and fuel leaked from the left wing during the impact.
The investigation
The Swedish Accident Investigation Authority (SHK) examined the accident site, interviewed the crew and passengers, and analyzed technical documentation and video footage. Audio analysis of the video confirmed that the engine was operating at a stable 2,150 rpm, indicating no mechanical failure of the engine or propeller.
Investigators used the aircraft's Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) to reconstruct the performance requirements. The analysis determined that the required distance to reach a height of 20 meters—sufficient to clear the trees—was approximately 411 meters under the prevailing conditions. The available distance in the chosen direction was only 360 meters. The investigation also noted that the aircraft was flying with a high angle of attack and low airspeed at the moment of impact, which likely rendered the flight controls ineffective for the necessary maneuvers.