N6426HCessna 207A · 1979

The commercial pilot was departing to the west, and uphill, from a private 2,400 foot-long, wet, rough and uneven gravel airstrip, with six passengers and baggage during an on-demand charter flight. In the pilot's written statement to the NTSB, he reported that at the time of the accident the airplane's gross weight was 10 pounds under the maximum gross weight. He wrote that during the takeoff roll, the wind suddenly switched to a tailwind, and the airplane failed to climb after it initially became airborne. He said that the airplane settled into an area of tundra-covered terrain about 100 yards west of the runway threshold, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained structural damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane. At the time of the accident the closest weather observation facility, about 2 miles southeast of the accident site, was reporting winds as 090 degrees at 9 knots, with gusts to 15 knots.