What happened
During the initial climb phase following takeoff from a private airstrip, an aircraft struck rising ground. The flight took place in dark conditions, approximately one hour after sunset. The crew and four passengers had arrived at the departure airport earlier in the day and had remained at their destination for several hours before preparing for the return leg. The flight was delayed slightly as the pilot waited for two other aircraft to depart the field first.
As the aircraft began its ascent, the pilot executed a right-hand bank. This maneuver was intended to avoid upsloping terrain located to the left of the departure path and to comply with standard noise abatement procedures. During this maneuver, the aircraft impacted the ascending terrain and came to a rest in an upright position. There were no reported fatalities or injuries among the occupants.
Findings
Investigations into the event noted that the pilot had limited experience in darkness, with only 10 hours of total night flying experience recorded. While the aircraft struck the terrain during a standard departure procedure, the pilot reported that no loss of engine power was experienced during the sequence of events.