What happened
During the takeoff ground roll, the pilot attempted to rotate the aircraft at approximately 95 knots. However, the pilot reported that the control wheel would not move aft more than about two inches, which represented less than half of the standard full travel range. As the aircraft accelerated to roughly 105 knots and had traversed over half of the runway length, the pilot decided to abort the takeoff.
The pilot was unable to bring the aircraft to a halt within the remaining runway distance. Consequently, the plane exited the paved surface and collided with an occupied vehicle traveling on an adjacent street. The incident resulted in one fatality among the occupants of the car, while four injuries were reported among those on board the aircraft.
Findings
Investigations determined that the left-side VOR indicator had become detached from its mounting clamp on the instrument panel. This instrument had fallen behind the panel and was resting against the control wheel tube, which physically restricted the rearward movement of the control wheel to only 2.5 inches.
Regarding the takeoff attempt, several contributing factors were identified, including an inadequate preflight inspection by the pilot in command. The investigation also noted that the aborted takeoff was delayed and that the aircraft's performance requirements exceeded the available runway distance. Additionally, the decision-making process regarding the takeoff roll and the subsequent overrun were cited as factors in the collision with the vehicle.