What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) Several witnesses to the accident have consistently stated that the aircraft took off from the Perry-Houston County Airport and flew in a south bound direction out bound from the airport. Witness stated that in the moments immediately prior to the accident, the engines "did not sound right" and that the aircraft appeared to being flying abnormally slow while maintaining relatively steep climb angle. Witnesses very near the scene of the accident at the time of the accident stated that the aircraft approached on a south bound heading (away from the airport) and was flying very slow at an altitude of approximately 500 ft. and appeared to be trying to climb when it aircraft made an abrupt steep turn to the left. At that time the aircraft assumed a sudden steep nose down attitude and crashed in the woods about 100 yards from the edge of a very large open field. The pilot was killed in the accident. The aircraft was totally destroyed in a post crash fire. One witness stated that the pilot had aborted a take-off the day before the accident. Several witnesses stated that the pilot was doing some kind of maintenance on the aircraft the day before and the day of the accident. All witnesses to the maintenance stated that the pilot was doing the work and had jack placed under the right wing of the aircraft. A statement from the pilot's father indicates that the pilot had done work on the aircraft's right brake prior to the accident and that the pilot stated to his father that he was going to test the brakes on the runway and if they checked normal that he would take-off, enter the airport pattern and land. He instead took-off and continued out bound to the north. He turned back toward the airport and continued straight south. Shortly after the aircraft flew out of sight, the father stated that he was informed by a phone call that from someone who lived south of the airport that the aircraft had crashed about 2 miles south of the airport.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) SEVERAL WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT HAVE CONSISTENTLY STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT TOOK OFF FROM THE PERRY-HOUSTON COUNTY AIRPORT AND FLEW IN A SOUTH BOUND DIRECTION OUT BOUND FROM THE AIRPORT. WITNESS STATED THAT IN THE MOMENTS IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, THE ENGINES "DID NOT SOUND RIGHT" AND THAT THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO BEING FLYING ABNORMALLY SLOW WHILE MAINTAINING RELATIVELY STEEP CLIMB ANGLE. WITNESSES VERY NEAR THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT APPROACHED ON A SOUTH BOUND HEADING (AWAY FROM THE AIRPORT) AND WAS FLYING VERY SLOW AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 500 FT. AND APPEARED TO BE TRYING TO CLIMB WHEN IT AIRCRAFT MADE AN ABRUPT STEEP TURN TO THE LEFT. AT THAT TIME THE AIRCRAFT ASSUMED A SUDDEN STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE AND CRASHED IN THE WOODS ABOUT 100 YARDS FROM THE EDGE OF A VERY LARGE OPEN FIELD. THE PILOT WAS KILLED IN THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED IN A POST CRASH FIRE. ONE WITNESS STATED THAT THE PILOT HAD ABORTED A TAKE-OFF THE DAY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. SEVERAL WITNESSES STATED THAT THE PILOT WAS DOING SOME KIND OF MAINTENANCE ON THE AIRCRAFT THE DAY BEFORE AND THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT. ALL WITNESSES TO THE MAINTENANCE STATED THAT THE PILOT WAS DOING THE WORK AND HAD JACK PLACED UNDER THE RIGHT WING OF THE AIRCRAFT. A STATEMENT FROM THE PILOT'S FATHER INDICATES THAT THE PILOT HAD DONE WORK ON THE AIRCRAFT'S RIGHT BRAKE PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT AND THAT THE PILOT STATED TO HIS FATHER THAT HE WAS GOING TO TEST THE BRAKES ON THE RUNWAY AND IF THEY CHECKED NORMAL THAT HE WOULD TAKE-OFF, ENTER THE AIRPORT PATTERN AND LAND. HE INSTEAD TOOK-OFF AND CONTINUED OUT BOUND TO THE NORTH. HE TURNED BACK TOWARD THE AIRPORT AND CONTINUED STRAIGHT SOUTH. SHORTLY AFTER THE AIRCRAFT FLEW OUT OF SIGHT, THE FATHER STATED THAT HE WAS INFORMED BY A PHONE CALL THAT FROM SOMEONE WHO LIVED SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD CRASHED ABOUT 2 MILES SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT.