Witnesses reported that after take-off in hot and gusty crosswind conditions the aircraft did not climb away normally. It passed over the boundary fence at a low height and then remained at about tree-top height for about one kilometre. The aircraft was then seen to turn sharply to the left before disappearing from view. It was subsequently discovered to have struck the ground while in a steep nose-down attitude, and been completely destroyed by a post impact fire. No evidence was found of any pre-impact defect or malfunction of the aircraft which might have contributed to the accident. The take-off had been attempted with the aircraft approximately 20 above the maximum allowable weight. It was considered that the combination of aircraft weight and ambient weather conditions caused a significant reduction in the aircraft climb performance. The available performance was insufficient to allow the aircraft to clear rising ground beyond the aerodrome boundary.
