N736BA

On May 27, 2000, at 1940 central daylight time, a Cessna 182RG single-engine airplane, N736BA, struck a fence during takeoff from a private grass airstrip near Sand Springs, Oklahoma. The airplane was owned and operated by a private individual. The private pilot and his 3 passengers were not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight, and a flight plan was not filed. The 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight was originating at the time of the accident.

The owner, who witnessed the accident, reported that during the takeoff, the airplane veered to the left side of the 2,600 by 100-foot turf runway. The airplane exited the runway and struck the barbed wire fence that parallels the runway. The owner stated that the wind was calm, and he had flown the airplane earlier that day and noted "no discrepancies."

The pilot reported that "at rotation the [air]plane quickly yawed 20-30 degrees left and began to slide down the center of the grass runway." He reduced the engine power to idle; however, the airplane tracked toward the left side of the runway and impacted the fence.

The owner and FAA inspector examined the airplane and found that the fuselage was twisted and wrinkled aft of the baggage compartment, and the empennage remained attached to the fuselage only by control cables.