What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Acft crashed on takeoff under unk circumstances, pilot suffered fatal inj, acft was destroyed by fire. (.4)a witness heard the pilot call on the radio and ask, 'is the coffee on?' The witness told the pilot that the coffee was on. The pilot responded, 'well then, I'll come in.' The next thing the witness recalled was a loud sound of an airplane engine and then the sound of things breaking. The witness ran outside of the hangar and saw the airplane going away from him in a level, gradual climb. The airplane began a left turn and roll. The airplane reached the top of its climb and then came straight down in a combination of a continual roll and a spin. Examination of the accident site revealed that the tops of three water birch trees, located 75 feet from the southeast edge of a ramp, on the airport's northeast side, were sheared off through the trunks, approximately 25 feet up from their bases. The outboard 4 feet of the airplane's left wing was found on the ramp, approximately 130 feet from the trees. Pieces of tree trunks, tree branches, and the airplane's left aileron fanned out from the trees in a southwesterly direction. N o other anomalies were found. (-23) witnesses describe a high-speed low pass by a corporate hangar where friends of the pilot worked. Left wing struck trees just off nw edge of that hangar's ramp, separating 4 feet of left wing and left aileron. Aircraft observed entering steep climb followed by dive to ground. Extensive post-impact fire. Flight control cables remained connected and operable. Engine found to produce compression on all cylinders, and crank turned freely.
As the FAA filed it
ACFT CRASHED ON TAKEOFF UNDER UNK CIRCUMSTANCES, PILOT SUFFERED FATAL INJ, ACFT WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE. (.4)A WITNESS HEARD THE PILOT CALL ON THE RADIO AND ASK, 'IS THE COFFEE ON?' THE WITNESS TOLD THE PILOT THAT THE COFFEE WAS ON. THE PILOT RESPONDED, 'WELL THEN, I'LL COME IN.' THE NEXT THING THE WITNESS RECALLED WAS A LOUD SOUND OF AN AIRPLANE ENGINE AND THEN THE SOUND OF THINGS BREAKING. THE WITNESS RAN OUTSIDE OF THE HANGAR AND SAW THE AIRPLANE GOING AWAY FROM HIM IN A LEVEL, GRADUAL CLIMB. THE AIRPLANE BEGAN A LEFT TURN AND ROLL. THE AIRPLANE REACHED THE TOP OF ITS CLIMB AND THEN CAME STRAIGHT DOWN IN A COMBINATION OF A CONTINUAL ROLL AND A SPIN. EXAMINATION OF THE ACCIDENT SITE REVEALED THAT THE TOPS OF THREE WATER BIRCH TREES, LOCATED 75 FEET FROM THE SOUTHEAST EDGE OF A RAMP, ON THE AIRPORT'S NORTHEAST SIDE, WERE SHEARED OFF THROUGH THE TRUNKS, APPROXIMATELY 25 FEET UP FROM THEIR BASES. THE OUTBOARD 4 FEET OF THE AIRPLANE'S LEFT WING WAS FOUND ON THE RAMP, APPROXIMATELY 130 FEET FROM THE TREES. PIECES OF TREE TRUNKS, TREE BRANCHES, AND THE AIRPLANE'S LEFT AILERON FANNED OUT FROM THE TREES IN A SOUTHWESTERLY DIRECTION. N O OTHER ANOMALIES WERE FOUND. (-23) WITNESSES DESCRIBE A HIGH-SPEED LOW PASS BY A CORPORATE HANGAR WHERE FRIENDS OF THE PILOT WORKED. LEFT WING STRUCK TREES JUST OFF NW EDGE OF THAT HANGAR'S RAMP, SEPARATING 4 FEET OF LEFT WING AND LEFT AILERON. AIRCRAFT OBSERVED ENTERING STEEP CLIMB FOLLOWED BY DIVE TO GROUND. EXTENSIVE POST-IMPACT FIRE. FLIGHT CONTROL CABLES REMAINED CONNECTED AND OPERABLE. ENGINE FOUND TO PRODUCE COMPRESSION ON ALL CYLINDERS, AND CRANK TURNED FREELY.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.