N4022

On January 1, 1999, about 1500 hours Pacific standard time, an Avions Max Holste MH 1521 Broussard, N4022, sustained substantial damage when it departed the runway during a touch-and-go landing at the Douglas County Airport, Minden, Nevada. The airplane departed Carson City, Nevada, about 1420 for local air work followed by touch-and-go landing practice at Minden. The commercial pilot/owner was operating the personal flight under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot and one passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan was filed.

The pilot stated that the approach and landing on runway 34 at Minden was normal. During the landing roll the trim was reset and the checklist was completed. Takeoff power was added and the pilot noticed that unusual stick force was required to raise the tail wheel. The trim setting was rechecked and confirmed. The pilot stated he added additional nose down trim but got no relief from the unusual stick pressure. He decided to abort the takeoff and maintained forward stick because he was concerned about leaping off the runway into stalled flight. He noted that the airplane was drifting to the right toward sailplanes that were parked on runway 30 near the intersection of runway 34. He elected to exit the runway to avoid the sailplanes. After the airplane went through sagebrush and grass, the right main gear went into a ditch. This collapsed the gear to the rear and turned the airplane to the right.

Federal Aviation Administration inspectors from the Reno, Nevada, Flight Standards District Office examined the airplane. The propeller was bent backwards and twisted. The right main landing gear was crushed aft and in toward the fuselage. The fuselage was buckled in the gearbox area on both sides; and the cabin floor was displaced upward by this buckling. Both sections of the windscreen cracked. The outer portion of the right wing and the right aileron were buckled. The inspectors did not report finding any trim or control system irregularity; however, the distortion to the fuselage precluded a complete system examination.