What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The pilot in command and sole occupant of N86856, a blanca 7 eca, had planned a VFR flight from Lake Lawn (C59) to kenosha (enw). The weather was VFR at the time of the accident. After beginning a takeoff roll on rwy 36 the pilot began to rotate. A large bird, later determined to be a red tailed hawk, struck the windscreen. It then went over the top of the aircraft, becoming lodged between the rudder horn and the vertical stabilizer. The aircraft became airborne, yawed to the right, struck the tetrahedron, the wind sock, the propeller impacted the ground followed by the left wing, and the aircraft flipped. It came to rest inverted with the nose pointing to the south approximately 400 yards from where it began the takeoff roll, 50 yards east of runway centerline. The pilot suffered minor injuries, and the aircraft had substantial damage.
During the takeoff the pilot had full power set, along with a significant amount of right rudder applied. It appears that the pilot retarded power after impact, but had the bird wedged in the control surface, along with a bent rudder horn. He would have been unable to arrest the right yaw. The pilot was not certain he had any binding in the rudder, events happened too fast. Once the aircraft established the right yaw it could not avoid the tetrahedron or wind sock at its low altitude, and the mishap occurred.
As the FAA filed it
THE PILOT IN COMMAND AND SOLE OCCUPANT OF N86856, A BLANCA 7 ECA, HAD PLANNED A VFR FLIGHT FROM LAKE LAWN (C59) TO KENOSHA (ENW). THE WEATHER WAS VFR AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. AFTER BEGINNING A TAKEOFF ROLL ON RWY 36 THE PILOT BEGAN TO ROTATE. A LARGE BIRD, LATER DETERMINED TO BE A RED TAILED HAWK, STRUCK THE WINDSCREEN. IT THEN WENT OVER THE TOP OF THE AIRCRAFT, BECOMING LODGED BETWEEN THE RUDDER HORN AND THE VERTICAL STABILIZER. THE AIRCRAFT BECAME AIRBORNE, YAWED TO THE RIGHT, STRUCK THE TETRAHEDRON, THE WIND SOCK, THE PROPELLER IMPACTED THE GROUND FOLLOWED BY THE LEFT WING, AND THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED. IT CAME TO REST INVERTED WITH THE NOSE POINTING TO THE SOUTH APPROXIMATELY 400 YARDS FROM WHERE IT BEGAN THE TAKEOFF ROLL, 50 YARDS EAST OF RUNWAY CENTERLINE. THE PILOT SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES, AND THE AIRCRAFT HAD SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE.
DURING THE TAKEOFF THE PILOT HAD FULL POWER SET, ALONG WITH A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF RIGHT RUDDER APPLIED. IT APPEARS THAT THE PILOT RETARDED POWER AFTER IMPACT, BUT HAD THE BIRD WEDGED IN THE CONTROL SURFACE, ALONG WITH A BENT RUDDER HORN. HE WOULD HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO ARREST THE RIGHT YAW. THE PILOT WAS NOT CERTAIN HE HAD ANY BINDING IN THE RUDDER, EVENTS HAPPENED TOO FAST. ONCE THE AIRCRAFT ESTABLISHED THE RIGHT YAW IT COULD NOT AVOID THE TETRAHEDRON OR WIND SOCK AT ITS LOW ALTITUDE, AND THE MISHAP OCCURRED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.