What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Received notification of accident at C83. Dispatched to airport, aircraft was still in place upon arrival at scene. Aircraft was resting 600' down the runway, on the opposite bank of the ditch that parallels the east side of runway 23. The PIC was present and uninjured. He reported a gust of wind pushed the nose left on his takeoff roll. Winds were reported to be 210 at 15 gusting to 22. He reported adding rudder and aileron input but could not overcome the left yaw. Witnesses reported the right wing appeared to come into contact with the runway surface prior to departing the runway. Inspection of the wing validates this observation.
The aircraft was resting on the opposite bank of the ditch at a 45 degree angle from the runway. The propeller was splintered and both propellers were broken near the hub. The landing gear was pushed out and back from the fuselage, both appeared to have broken the attachment at the fuselage and bent the bar. The left wing appeared damage free with minor scratches and scrub marks. The right wing appeared to have spar damage 6 feet from the tip and was bent slightly up. It also appeared to have been pushed aft slightly evidenced by skin wrinkling near the wing root, on the top aft section of the wing. The tail section horizontal and vertical stabilizers appeared damage free. The ailerons were damage free. The tail wheel was damage free, there does appear to be some slight scrub marks/wear on the tail wheel. Not what would have occurred if the tail wheel were locked 90 degrees for 600'.
An inspection of the runway surface yielded a scrub mark originating near the end of the runway terminating in line with where the aircraft departed the runway and came to rest. The gravel and grass showed/had evidence of this as well.
Inspected aircraft tailwheel with privacy data omitted. Tailwheel linkages were intact and properly functioning. Tailwheel broke free as designed and rotated freely without any indication of catching. Tailwheel ruled out as contributing factor.
As the FAA filed it
RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF ACCIDENT AT C83. DISPATCHED TO AIRPORT, AIRCRAFT WAS STILL IN PLACE UPON ARRIVAL AT SCENE. AIRCRAFT WAS RESTING 600' DOWN THE RUNWAY, ON THE OPPOSITE BANK OF THE DITCH THAT PARALLELS THE EAST SIDE OF RUNWAY 23. THE PIC WAS PRESENT AND UNINJURED. HE REPORTED A GUST OF WIND PUSHED THE NOSE LEFT ON HIS TAKEOFF ROLL. WINDS WERE REPORTED TO BE 210 AT 15 GUSTING TO 22. HE REPORTED ADDING RUDDER AND AILERON INPUT BUT COULD NOT OVERCOME THE LEFT YAW. WITNESSES REPORTED THE RIGHT WING APPEARED TO COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE RUNWAY SURFACE PRIOR TO DEPARTING THE RUNWAY. INSPECTION OF THE WING VALIDATES THIS OBSERVATION.
THE AIRCRAFT WAS RESTING ON THE OPPOSITE BANK OF THE DITCH AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE FROM THE RUNWAY. THE PROPELLER WAS SPLINTERED AND BOTH PROPELLERS WERE BROKEN NEAR THE HUB. THE LANDING GEAR WAS PUSHED OUT AND BACK FROM THE FUSELAGE, BOTH APPEARED TO HAVE BROKEN THE ATTACHMENT AT THE FUSELAGE AND BENT THE BAR. THE LEFT WING APPEARED DAMAGE FREE WITH MINOR SCRATCHES AND SCRUB MARKS. THE RIGHT WING APPEARED TO HAVE SPAR DAMAGE 6 FEET FROM THE TIP AND WAS BENT SLIGHTLY UP. IT ALSO APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN PUSHED AFT SLIGHTLY EVIDENCED BY SKIN WRINKLING NEAR THE WING ROOT, ON THE TOP AFT SECTION OF THE WING. THE TAIL SECTION HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL STABILIZERS APPEARED DAMAGE FREE. THE AILERONS WERE DAMAGE FREE. THE TAIL WHEEL WAS DAMAGE FREE, THERE DOES APPEAR TO BE SOME SLIGHT SCRUB MARKS/WEAR ON THE TAIL WHEEL. NOT WHAT WOULD HAVE OCCURRED IF THE TAIL WHEEL WERE LOCKED 90 DEGREES FOR 600'.
AN INSPECTION OF THE RUNWAY SURFACE YIELDED A SCRUB MARK ORIGINATING NEAR THE END OF THE RUNWAY TERMINATING IN LINE WITH WHERE THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE RUNWAY AND CAME TO REST. THE GRAVEL AND GRASS SHOWED/HAD EVIDENCE OF THIS AS WELL.
INSPECTED AIRCRAFT TAILWHEEL WITH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. TAILWHEEL LINKAGES WERE INTACT AND PROPERLY FUNCTIONING. TAILWHEEL BROKE FREE AS DESIGNED AND ROTATED FREELY WITHOUT ANY INDICATION OF CATCHING. TAILWHEEL RULED OUT AS CONTRIBUTING FACTOR.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.