N5965HPiper PA-16 · 1949

The pilot was departing in a tailwheel-equipped airplane from a remote, rough, uneven gravel bar. The pilot reported that during the takeoff run, the airplane did not accelerate as he had anticipated. He said that as the airplane became airborne, it collided with a stand of trees at the end of the site, sustaining substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot also confessed that he initially elected not to report the accident, but later realized that the airplane wreckage had been photographed as part of a reality television show.

The pilot did not submit the required 6120.1 Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report.