N2699G – Smith, Ted Aerostar Aerostar 601 – 2007-12-11 NTSB Accident Report

On December 11, 2007, a Smith, Ted Aerostar Aerostar 601 (N2699G) was involved in an incident near Elyria, OH. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's momentary loss of control after takeoff, which resulted in an in-flight collision with a tree. A contributing factor was the presence of the tree.

The pilot reported that he departed on an instrument flight rules flight plan into a low overcast cloud ceiling. He commented that he lost visual contact with the ground immediately upon liftoff. During the initial climb, the airplane momentarily entered a nose-down attitude. He subsequently corrected the nose down attitude. However, as the airplane began to climb again the right wing impacted a tree. This occurred approximately 1 mile from the airport and within 1 minute of takeoff. After the in-flight collision, he had "full function" of the airplane and elected to continue the planned 31-minute flight to the intended destination. He added that there were no anomalies related to flight control or engine operation during the flight.

This incident is documented in NTSB report CHI08CA048. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N2699G.