Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, and his failure to maintain sufficient airspeed to avoid a stall/mush during an aborted takeoff, which resulted in a loss of control, and an in-flight collision with terrain. Factors associated with the accident are snow, wing contamination (snow), and an inadvertent stall.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
The pilot decided to abort the takeoff in the initial climb, and the airplane landed hard, collapsing the right main landing gear. Immediately after takeoff the airplane did not feel right to the pilot, and he pulled the throttle off to abort the takeoff. During the landing attempt the airplane stalled and landed hard, collapsing the right landing gear. Examination of the airplane by airport management personnel immediately after the accident revealed that the wing had approximately 1/2-inch of wet snow covering 2/3 of the upper surface of the wing, including the vortex generators. The pilot stated that during his preflight he had only cleared some of the snow from around the vortex generators.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# LAX07CA091