N55769

On June 21, 2000, at 0625 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, single-engine airplane, N55769, sustained substantial damage when it impacted the terrain following a loss of control during the takeoff/initial climb from a private grass airstrip near Ben Wheeler, Texas. The airplane was owned and operated by a private individual under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight, and a flight plan was not filed. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.

The pilot reported to local authorities that the north/south runway had been mowed the day before the flight, and the runway was dry. Following the takeoff on the south runway, the pilot turned the airplane 10 degrees toward the left. The pilot recalled the climb airspeed at 65 knots and the power at 2,300-rpm. As the airplane cleared marked power lines at the departure end of the runway, there was a "loss of airspeed and a stall." The right wing dropped and the airplane struck the ground. The pilot reported the wind from 220 degrees at 7 knots.

At 0553, the weather reported at Tyler, Texas, (25 nautical miles east of the accident site) was wind from 190 degrees at 11 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, a temperature of 25 degrees Celcius, and a broken cloud layer at 1,700 feet agl.

The FAA inspector, responding to the site, found the outboard area of both wings bent upward. The fuselage was buckled, and engine mounts were bent.

Numerous attempts by the NTSB Investigator-In-Charge to contact the pilot were unsuccessful. The original Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) mailed on June 22, 2000, to the pilot's address in the FAA records, was returned unclaimed. Subsequently, the pilot's address was verified via the U.S. Postal Service, and the NTSB Form 6120.1/2 was sent to the pilot on September 8, 2000, by certified mail. The certified mail was signed for on September 11, 2000; however, to date, the completed NTSB Form 6120.1/2 has not been submitted to the Safety Board.

The Safety Board did not take possession of the aircraft.