The aircraft commenced its take off run to the south west on the
221 degrees strip into a wind of 15 to 20 knots from the south
west. The strip is 2,950 feet long and the surface was firm and
covered at the time with a dense growth of grass and lucerne to a
depth of 4 to 8 inches. The aircraft did not become airborne until
it had covered about two thirds of the available distance at which
point the speed was in excess of 60 knots. The pilot then held the
aircraft close to the ground to accelerate further before beginning
the climb but, when 350 feet from the far end of the strip, the
aircraft contacted the gently rising strip surface. It failed to
become airborne again and it entered a dense growth of elephant
grass after over-running the strip, and then struck the aerodrome
boundary fence 230 feet beyond the end of the strip. The aircraft
travelled a further 330 feet across an adjacent paddock and slewed
90 degrees to the left before coming to rest. Examination of the
aircraft and engine did not reveal any defect which may have
contributed to the occurrence. The aircraft performance charts
indicates that while the dimensions of the strip could be regarded
as somewhat marginal, the take-off should have been within the
capacity of the aircraft.
