Cessna R182 accident near Mooresville, North Carolina, March 29, 2017

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

After an uneventful preflight inspection and engine runup, the private pilot attempted to take off from a 1,700-ft-long turf runway for the personal flight. During the takeoff roll, as the airplane reached a point on the runway where it would normally lift off (about 1,200 ft down the runway), the pilot pulled back on the yoke, but the airplane did not climb. The pilot recalled that the airspeed was close to 60 knots; he did not recall any engine instrument indications and noted that the engine sounded normal. When he realized that the airplane was not going to take off and a collision appeared imminent, he advised his passenger to prepare for impact. As the airplane approached a fence just beyond the departure end of the runway, he pulled back on the yoke and the airplane lifted off, flew over the fence, then descended and struck another fence before coming to rest in the driveway of his residence. Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Given this and the pilot's description that the engine appeared to be operating normally during the takeoff, it is unlikely that a partial loss of engine power contributed to the accident. Review of takeoff performance data in the pilot operating handbook for the airplane make and model revealed that, given the airplane's weight and approximate weather conditions around the time of the accident, the airplane should have been able to become airborne with the runway available; however, the data assumed the flaps were set to 20° extension. Although the pilot believed the flaps were "down" when he started the takeoff roll, he noticed that they were "up" after the accident, which suggests that he may not have actually set them to 20° before initiating the takeoff. This fully retracted flap setting may have reduced the airplane's takeoff performance and resulted in a longer ground roll than expected.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.