What happened
During an attempt to depart from a wet gravel runway using a flapless takeoff configuration, a DC-3 experienced a significant deviation from its path. After traveling approximately 300 meters along the airstrip, the aircraft swerved 30 degrees to the left while maintaining a speed of 60 knots.
As the aircraft became airborne, the left wing made contact with the airport perimeter fence. The noise from the incident caused nearby buffaloes to run into the path of the aircraft, leading to the death of four buffaloes and causing the separation of the number one propeller. Following the impact, the left landing gear sank into soft ground approximately 75 meters away from the runway surface.
Findings
Investigations identified that the condition of the laterite strip had deteriorated due to heavy use and the presence of standing rainwater across various sections of the runway. The accident was attributed to an error in judgment by the pilot-in-command, who chose to proceed with the takeoff immediately following a heavy rain shower despite unfavorable weather conditions and the compromised state of the runway surface.