Accident Sequence
The airport had a single runway oriented on a heading of 140/320 degrees. A taxiway oriented on a 120-degree heading intersected the runway at its midpoint. Before departure, the pilot reported visibility of 500 to 1,000 feet due to fog. He asked a passenger to walk the length of the runway to check for obstructions. The pilot then taxied to the run-up pad, set the heading of his horizontal situation indicator (HSI) to 120 degrees, and initiated the takeoff.
When the airspeed reached 80 knots, the pilot realized that he had initiated the takeoff on the taxiway instead of the runway. He aborted the takeoff and attempted to maneuver the airplane to the runway. During this maneuver, the airplane crossed the runway, impacted a tree, and came to rest upright in a cornfield.
Weather
Weather reported at an airport 9 miles away at the time of the accident included wind from 320 degrees at 2 knots, visibility 1/16 mile with fog, partially obscured sky, and a ceiling of 200 feet overcast.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause was the pilot's improper preflight planning which resulted in an attempted takeoff from a taxiway. A factor in the accident was the fog.