Event SEA03LA105

Factual narrative

On June 15, 2003, approximately 1115 mountain daylight time, a Cessna T337G, N4TD, registered to and operated by the pilot as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, collided with rough terrain during an aborted takeoff from a private airstrip located seven miles southwest of Lewistown, Montana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft was substantially damaged and the private pilot and his passenger were not injured. During a telephone interview, the pilot reported that when he landed at the airstrip, he had trimmed the aircraft for a soft field landing. For the takeoff, he reported that he did not retrim the aircraft and during the takeoff ground run, the control yoke came back into his lap. The aircraft lifted off briefly, then stalled with the left wing down. The pilot aborted the takeoff and reduced power. The aircraft traveled off the north side of the runway and crossed a rough wheat field. The aircraft came to rest over an embankment along side a dirt road. The right main landing gear was sheared off, the outboard section of the right wing contacted the surface, the right side boom was displaced from the empennage and the bottom ends of the vertical fin on both the right and left side were crushed upward. To date, the pilot has not turned in the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report form 6120.1/2. The pilot reported that when he landed on the airstrip, he had trimmed the aircraft for a short field landing. During the takeoff, he reported that he did not retrim the aircraft and during the takeoff ground run, the control yoke came back into his lap. The aircraft lifted off briefly, then stalled with the left wing down. The pilot aborted the takeoff and reduced power. The aircraft traveled off the north side of the runway and crossed a rough wheat field. The aircraft came to rest over an embankment along side a dirt road. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12