What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
During the accident sequence the pilot felt the aircraft losing altitude during the takeoff climb. The pilot noticed no change in engine performance but felt as if the aircraft had flown into a dust devil and was losing lift. The aircraft briefly touched down in a small field just south of the departure end of the grass strip, struck a berm and became airborne again. The aircraft’s main landing gear then struck a berm on the opposite side of the ditch causing the nose and propeller of the aircraft to contact the ground. After the nose contacted the ground, the aircraft flipped and came to rest upside down. The accident pilot and another company pilot noted very light and variable winds at the time of the accident but had seen multiple dust devils in the area throughout the day.
As the FAA filed it
DURING THE ACCIDENT SEQUENCE THE PILOT FELT THE AIRCRAFT LOSING ALTITUDE DURING THE TAKEOFF CLIMB. THE PILOT NOTICED NO CHANGE IN ENGINE PERFORMANCE BUT FELT AS IF THE AIRCRAFT HAD FLOWN INTO A DUST DEVIL AND WAS LOSING LIFT. THE AIRCRAFT BRIEFLY TOUCHED DOWN IN A SMALL FIELD JUST SOUTH OF THE DEPARTURE END OF THE GRASS STRIP, STRUCK A BERM AND BECAME AIRBORNE AGAIN. THE AIRCRAFT’S MAIN LANDING GEAR THEN STRUCK A BERM ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE DITCH CAUSING THE NOSE AND PROPELLER OF THE AIRCRAFT TO CONTACT THE GROUND. AFTER THE NOSE CONTACTED THE GROUND, THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED AND CAME TO REST UPSIDE DOWN. THE ACCIDENT PILOT AND ANOTHER COMPANY PILOT NOTED VERY LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT BUT HAD SEEN MULTIPLE DUST DEVILS IN THE AREA THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N8405K · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.