N7344B

On August 15,1998, at 1030 central daylight time, a Beech E35 airplane, N7344B, owned and operated by the pilot, was substantially damaged during a loss of control on takeoff from Luck Field, near Fort Worth, Texas. The private pilot and his three passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The flight was originating at the time of the accident and was destined for Rockport, Texas.

During a telephone interview conducted by the investigator-in-charge, the 220 hour pilot reported that he "was in a hurry to get to Rockport, Texas, because his friend (one of the passengers) was late for a meeting." The pilot added that during his takeoff from runway 34 he "lifted the nose too early on the takeoff roll." He heard the stall warning horn shortly after liftoff and lowered the nose to recover from the imminent stall. When he lowered the nose of the airplane, he noticed that the aircraft had drifted to the left side of the runway. Subsequently, the left wing impacted a fence and then the ground.

Examination of the airplane by the FAA inspector revealed that the nose and right main landing gear collapsed, and both the right and left wing spars were bent.

The pilot reported that the wind was from 090 degrees at 5 knots at the time of the accident.