What happened
On 23 February 2003, a Beech 36, registration N8258F, was being operated for private flight purposes at Tregorras Farm, Llangorren. The pilot was performing a short-field takeoff maneuver from a grass runway measuring 800 metres. To minimize the takeoff roll, the pilot maintained full up elevator until the nosewheel lifted at 60 knots.
As the aircraft climbed to approximately 20 feet, it maintained a high nose attitude, triggering the stall warning horn. In an effort to decrease aerodynamic drag, the pilot retracted the landing gear. However, the opening of the gear bay doors actually increased drag. Due to limited visibility of the runway end, the pilot elected to abort the takeoff. Upon selecting the landing gear down and reducing engine power, the aircraft descended while the gear remained partially retracted. The aircraft subsequently touched down in a nose-high attitude, veered off the runway, and came to a halt roughly 200 metres from the runway end. The aircraft sustained damage to the airframe, engine, and landing gear, though the pilot escaped without injury.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report form provided by the pilot. Investigators examined the takeoff technique and the mechanical sequence of the gear retraction. It was noted that the pilot's experience on this specific type was 200 hours, with very limited recent flight time. The investigation focused on the interaction between the pilot's manual inputs and the aerodynamic changes caused by the gear door movement.