A pilot aborted her initial takeoff attempt before a second try ended with a Cessna 172 clipping trees and striking a home near Lee Bottom Airport in Hanover, Indiana, according to preliminary findings from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The crash occurred Sept. 16 near River Bottom Road. The pilot was flying herself and a friend on a local flight out of Lee Bottom, an airfield she told investigators she knew from prior training there.
During the first takeoff roll, the pilot reported the aircraft “was not performing as expected” and elected to taxi back to the runway threshold. The second takeoff got the aircraft airborne, but the pilot said the Cessna clipped trees off the departure end of the runway.
The aircraft continued through the trees, struck a home, and came to rest inverted in the yard. The pilot and passenger sustained minor injuries. No occupants of the home were hurt.
The NTSB's findings to this point are preliminary. The agency has not identified a cause, and the investigation remains open.
