Piper PA 28-140 N3949K accident near Oakdale, Louisiana

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate preflight planning resulting in the airplane not having adequate performance to climb and clear the trees off the end of the dirt runway.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that he checked the windsock at his private airfield before takeoff and that it was hanging down, not moving. As he became airborne during takeoff, he experienced a 10 to 15 knot tail wind and began to lose altitude. He advanced the throttle to full power to gain altitude. The engine responded but the airplane continued to settle. The trees off the departure end of the runway were located about 1,655 ft away. Given the effects of density altitude, clearing the 40-ft trees would have required about 1,640 ft on a prepared surface; however, taking off on an unprepared surface and with the lack of lift due to the tailwind, the airplane hit trees and came to rest inverted on the ground. Had the pilot done proper preflight planning he would have realized he did not have adequate airplane performance to clear the trees.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN15LA301 for the full record.