Aero Commander 100 accident near Collegeville, Pennsylvania, July 25, 2007

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

The purpose of the accident flight was to test fly the airplane following the completion of an annual inspection. The pilot stated that after performing two takeoffs and landings, during the initial climb of the third takeoff, about 60 to 70 feet above the ground the engine lost partial power. After unsuccessfully attempting to remedy the problem, the pilot realized that the airplane would not clear the trees beyond the departure end of the runway, so he retarded the throttle and extended the flaps fully. The airplane subsequently impacted a tree, where it came to rest. A flight instructor and a student observed the accident airplane as it flew in the airport traffic pattern, and witnessed the accident. They took off, and watched as the accident airplane taxied, departed behind them, and also remained in the airport traffic pattern. The instructor and the student watched the airplane as it landed for a third time. Everything about the approach appeared normal, until the accident airplane flared, and "ballooned." The nose of the airplane then came down and the airplane ballooned again at about the mid-field point, before it ballooned a third time. The airplane's nose then "abruptly" pitched down, the airplane touched down "hard," bounced, departed the end of the runway, and struck trees. Another witness described that she saw the airplane bouncing down the runway, before it departed the end of the runway, while still on the ground, and "came up into the air a little" before striking trees. Examination of the airplane following the accident revealed no evidence of any obvious mechanical deficiencies of the engine.

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.