The pilot was making a take-off in 15 knot crosswind conditions. Initial acceleration appeared to be normal, and the aircraft lifted off at 60 knots. However, about 30 metres further on the aircraft settled back onto the ground, became airborne again but then failed to perform as expected. It cleared a fence at the end of the strip, before touching down again in the adjacent paddock and subsequently striking an electrified fence. The wooden propeller shattered and the right landing gear was torn off before the aircraft came to rest some 880 metres from the start of the take-off run. Although the pilot observed no engine abnormality during the takeoff, subsequent tests found that both magnetoes were not operating normally. It is possible, therefore, that the engine suffered a partial loss of power during the takeoff run. It is also possible that the prevailing wind conditions caused a loss of performance shortly after liftoff, and that the high nose attitude adopted by the pilot further added to this performance loss.
