20061212028779A

(-23) Sequence: the accident aircraft was operating as the second aircraft in a flight of two. The purpose of the flight was formation practice. The wind had been reported earlier as 030-060 at 6 gusting to 14 knots. The lead aircraft was airborne on the upwind when the accident aircraft began the takeoff roll on runway 9R. The front seat passenger/pilot was performing the takeoff. The tail came up at approximately 40-50 knots. Approximately 300 feet from the departure end, the right wing rose and the right main gear lifted off the runway due to excessive left aileron correction for the crosswind. At this point the aircraft veered abruptly to the right, making a single arcing black track on the runway (deposited by the left main tire). At approximately 500' from the departure end, the aircraft left the runway with both main wheels momentarily in contact with the unimproved surface. The rear seat pilot (pilot in command) then took the controls and called out "I've got it." The front seat pilot did not hear this. As a result, both pilots were on the controls throughout the remainder of the accident sequence. The aircraft continued arcing to right in the sand but was not accelerating. Approximately 235 feet from the runway edge, the left main gear ramped over a sandy mound and, under full power, the aircraft became airborne just in time to overcome a large drainage ditch. The aircraft climbed to about 50 feet but stalled aerodynamically, bouncing on the right main gear after traveling 340 feet in the air. Momentarily airborne again, the aircraft struck the top of a wire perimeter fence with the right aileron spade. The aircraft began to roll right, striking the ground first with the right main gear, then with the left as the aircraft nosed-over in the sand past the vertical. The aircraft rotated to the right on the vertical axis, landing on the left wing, then rebounding again, making contact first with the tip of the left horizontal stabilizer. The airframe landed upright at a point approximately 110 feet south of the fence and 475 feet south of the runway edge. However, because the left horizontal stabilizer and tail wheel were fixed in the sand, and due to the inertia of the (still attached) engine assembly, the fuselage continued to deflect at a point immediately in front of the empennage until fully restrained by the right main gear digging into the sand. At this point the engine, cowl and propeller separated as a whole and came to rest 22 feet southeast of the airframe. The engine assembly remained attached only by control cables and cable cladding. Damage: the outboard half of the left wing was destroyed; however a portion of the upper skin and the outboard half of the full-span aileron remained attached at the actuator. The right wing tip and outboard portion of the lower right aileron skin were torn away. The left main gear was destroyed. The fuselage frame and skin had deformed to the left approximately 25 degrees immediately forward of the horizontal tail. A large, central portion of the canopy had broken away due to torsion loads, not (reportedly) due to contact with the occupant's heads. The upper left and lower left lord mounts were retained on the cage, along with the engine mounting flanges. The upper right and lower right mounting assemblies were found still attached to the back of the engine. The three-bladed wood and composite propeller had been destroyed; but the hub, blade stubs and spinner remained attached to the engine. There was a scatter pattern of propeller parts, composite material, canopy, and miscellaneous fragments arrayed up to 50 feet in all directions around the wreckage. There was evidence of spraying fuel in the sand where the aircraft had nosed-over. Controls: elevator, aileron and rudder control continuity was established, except for the broken left aileron. In the cockpit, the propeller control was set just off the low pitch stop. The elevator trim was set slightly forward of neutral. The throttle was full open, manifold pressure reading 28.5 inches. The accelerometer indicated plus 8.5, negative 5 g's (pegged). Injuries: the pilot in command was taken to the hospital with minor injuries to his ribs and arm. The front seat passenger was not injured. Findings: there was no post crash fire. There was no evidence of fuel starvation or exhaustion, nor of flight control or wheel/brake malfunction. The physical evidence and pilot statements lead unequivocally to loss of control as the cause of the accident. The reason for the initial excursion to the right has not been established.