What happened
During a departure from a private airstrip near the U-Fly-In Camp, three miles east of Pelican Narrows, Saskatchewan, a PA24-250 aircraft crashed into a stand of trees. The pilot, who was traveling with three passengers, intended to fly to Flin Flon, Manitoba, to refuel before returning to Colorado, USA.
Shortly after takeoff from the grass-surfaced runway, the aircraft lifted off prematurely with a pronounced nose-high attitude. After a ground run of approximately 1,100 feet, the plane became airborne but remained only 5 to 10 feet above the ground. The aircraft touched down again roughly 900 feet further down the runway. Despite the low altitude and shallow climb angle, the pilot attempted to continue the takeoff. However, the aircraft failed to gain sufficient airspeed to climb. In an attempt to avoid the approaching trees at the end of the airstrip, the pilot maneuvered the aircraft, which subsequently stalled and impacted the forest. The impact and a resulting intense fire destroyed the aircraft, causing two fatalities, one serious injury, and one minor injury.
The investigation
Investigators examined the condition of the 3,000-foot grass airstrip, noting it was slightly soft due to recent rain and featured a prominent hump at the 1,000-foot mark. The aircraft's weight was estimated at 2,975 pounds, near its maximum capacity.
Technical analysis of the engine revealed that a previous tachometer installation error had led to the propeller governor being set 300 rpm lower than its previous setting. This meant the engine had been operating at a lower indicated speed than the pilot likely expected based on prior flights. The investigation also looked into the aerodynamic properties of the aircraft's laminar flow wing, which is highly efficient at low angles of attack but experiences a rapid increase in drag if the angle of attack increases too much.
Findings
- The pilot's use of a soft-field takeoff technique, combined with the terrain rise on the runway, caused the aircraft to become airborne prematurely.
- The high angle of attack prevented the aircraft from accelerating sufficiently to climb.
- The pilot continued the takeoff beyond the safe abort point.
- The aircraft stalled at an altitude that left no possibility for recovery when the pilot maneuvered to avoid the trees.