Before commencing the flight the pilot obtained information
which led him to believe, incorrectly, that there was an airstrip
at George Town. On arrival over George Town he could not find an
airstrip so he selected a field, examined it from the air, and
landed. He discussed the field with the owner who estimated its
size as 2,000 feet square and, for his departure, the pilot decided
to make a crosswind take-off to the south to avoid overflying
several houses on the western boundary. The pilot did not consult
the take-off performance charts contained in the aircraft flight
manual, nor did he obtain accurate information as to the dimensions
of the field. The wind velocity was westerly at 15 knots and the
field dimension to the south was in fact 1,700 feet with trees 30
feet high along the boundary, reducing the effective length to
1,100 feet. In these conditions the minimum effective operating
length required by the flight manual for take-off was 1,670 feet.
During the take-off on a heading of 160 degrees the aircraft was
retarded by dense patches of clover but the pilot elected to
continue the take-off. Just before reaching the trees he pulled the
nose up sharply but the tailplane and left wing tip struck the tree
tops. Control became difficult and he attempted to land downwind in
a small paddock but, after touching down, the aircraft ran through
a fence and came to rest on a mound of soft earth. There were other
take-off paths available in the field which would have provided
adequate effective operational length for take-off.
Download final report [PDF 308 KB]