CEN14CA238

The pilot made several attempts to take off from an unimproved field with 3-foot tall grass. In the last attempt, the airplane lifted off but could not climb out of the tall grass. The pilot elected to reject the takeoff. The airplane touched down and nosed over.

On May 10, 2014, about 1700 central daylight time, an American Legend AL-3, N907DC, nosed over during a rejected takeoff from an unimproved field near Osage, Arkansas. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The local flight originated from North Little Rock (KORK), Arkansas, and was destined for Berryville (1M4), Arkansas.The pilot told a Federal Aviation Administration inspector that after landing on the unimproved field, he attempted a takeoff to the south. The takeoff area was about 1,100 feet long and 100 feet wide. The field was dry with 3-foot tall grass. Being in a valley, the winds were variable. The airplane lifted off but could not climb out of the tall grass. The pilot elected to reject the takeoff. The airplane touched down and nosed over. The vertical stabilizer was crushed, the fuselage was buckled, and both wings were wrinkled. A witness told a Carroll County sheriff's deputy he saw the airplane land in the field and a female passenger got out. A short time later she got back in the airplane and the pilot attempted to take off several times, but was unable due to the tall grass. The airplane finally took off but immediately banked left and "attempted to land." The airplane bounced a few times and nosed over.