What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Aircraft attempted takeoff from runway 25 at k intersection, gained approximately 100-150' in a steep nose-up pitch attitude, then abruptly pitched over and impacted terrain approximately 30-40' to the right of runway 25, even with the beginning of the 1000' markings.
Aircraft impacted in a vertical attitude, 90 degrees to the ground. The aircraft was found inverted, consistent with impacting at 90 degrees and falling backwards onto the tail. The engine and spinner were pushed back to approximately the forward strut of the landing gear from impact forces. The impact and subsequent engine displacement likely caused the fatality. A ground scar was observed where the propeller impacted into the dirt. The ground scar did not show signs of the propeller turning, it appeared to be stopped or abruptly stopped at impact, but there were some scratches on the propeller indicating it was turning to some extent at impact. The wings showed impact signs consistent with a frontal-impact and the 90 degree impact angle.
Witnesses reported that the aircraft took off and the flight path gradually got steeper, with a CFI witness reporting it looked like a 60 degree nose-up attitude, "hanging on the prop". Other witnesses said that based on the attitude, rate of pitch and forward speed, they knew there was going to be an accident before they saw the aircraft pitch over. Witnesses reported the aircraft pitched over, wings remained level, and the aircraft dropped from the apex, starting at about 100-150' of altitude. Some witnesses reporting a "popping" noise prior to seeing it pitch over, while others reported a decrease in engine noise after it pitched towards the ground. Witnesses also reported that they believed the aircraft had been rebuilt by the PIC over the course of the last 4-5 years and the accident flight was the first flight/test flight since being rebuilt.
Subsequent investigation of the wreckage determined the elevator flight controls were connected in reverse at the rear elevator horn, causing forward-stick inputs to deflect the elevator up. This is consistent with witness statements that describe the flight path as continually steepening until the point of stall/pitch over. A checklist was found with the wreckage, opened to the "before take-off" page. The checklist said "flight controls - free and correct".
The probable causes for the accident are the pic's miss-rigging of the elevator control cables and failure to accomplish the before-takeoff checklist.
As the FAA filed it
AIRCRAFT ATTEMPTED TAKEOFF FROM RUNWAY 25 AT K INTERSECTION, GAINED APPROXIMATELY 100-150' IN A STEEP NOSE-UP PITCH ATTITUDE, THEN ABRUPTLY PITCHED OVER AND IMPACTED TERRAIN APPROXIMATELY 30-40' TO THE RIGHT OF RUNWAY 25, EVEN WITH THE BEGINNING OF THE 1000' MARKINGS.
AIRCRAFT IMPACTED IN A VERTICAL ATTITUDE, 90 DEGREES TO THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND INVERTED, CONSISTENT WITH IMPACTING AT 90 DEGREES AND FALLING BACKWARDS ONTO THE TAIL. THE ENGINE AND SPINNER WERE PUSHED BACK TO APPROXIMATELY THE FORWARD STRUT OF THE LANDING GEAR FROM IMPACT FORCES. THE IMPACT AND SUBSEQUENT ENGINE DISPLACEMENT LIKELY CAUSED THE FATALITY. A GROUND SCAR WAS OBSERVED WHERE THE PROPELLER IMPACTED INTO THE DIRT. THE GROUND SCAR DID NOT SHOW SIGNS OF THE PROPELLER TURNING, IT APPEARED TO BE STOPPED OR ABRUPTLY STOPPED AT IMPACT, BUT THERE WERE SOME SCRATCHES ON THE PROPELLER INDICATING IT WAS TURNING TO SOME EXTENT AT IMPACT. THE WINGS SHOWED IMPACT SIGNS CONSISTENT WITH A FRONTAL-IMPACT AND THE 90 DEGREE IMPACT ANGLE.
WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT TOOK OFF AND THE FLIGHT PATH GRADUALLY GOT STEEPER, WITH A CFI WITNESS REPORTING IT LOOKED LIKE A 60 DEGREE NOSE-UP ATTITUDE, "HANGING ON THE PROP". OTHER WITNESSES SAID THAT BASED ON THE ATTITUDE, RATE OF PITCH AND FORWARD SPEED, THEY KNEW THERE WAS GOING TO BE AN ACCIDENT BEFORE THEY SAW THE AIRCRAFT PITCH OVER. WITNESSES REPORTED THE AIRCRAFT PITCHED OVER, WINGS REMAINED LEVEL, AND THE AIRCRAFT DROPPED FROM THE APEX, STARTING AT ABOUT 100-150' OF ALTITUDE. SOME WITNESSES REPORTING A "POPPING" NOISE PRIOR TO SEEING IT PITCH OVER, WHILE OTHERS REPORTED A DECREASE IN ENGINE NOISE AFTER IT PITCHED TOWARDS THE GROUND. WITNESSES ALSO REPORTED THAT THEY BELIEVED THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN REBUILT BY THE PIC OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST 4-5 YEARS AND THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT WAS THE FIRST FLIGHT/TEST FLIGHT SINCE BEING REBUILT.
SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION OF THE WRECKAGE DETERMINED THE ELEVATOR FLIGHT CONTROLS WERE CONNECTED IN REVERSE AT THE REAR ELEVATOR HORN, CAUSING FORWARD-STICK INPUTS TO DEFLECT THE ELEVATOR UP. THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH WITNESS STATEMENTS THAT DESCRIBE THE FLIGHT PATH AS CONTINUALLY STEEPENING UNTIL THE POINT OF STALL/PITCH OVER. A CHECKLIST WAS FOUND WITH THE WRECKAGE, OPENED TO THE "BEFORE TAKE-OFF" PAGE. THE CHECKLIST SAID "FLIGHT CONTROLS - FREE AND CORRECT".
THE PROBABLE CAUSES FOR THE ACCIDENT ARE THE PIC'S MISS-RIGGING OF THE ELEVATOR CONTROL CABLES AND FAILURE TO ACCOMPLISH THE BEFORE-TAKEOFF CHECKLIST.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.