NTSB Factual Report

On March 15, 2004, at approximately 1030 mountain standard time, a Cessna 182P, N400DH, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during departure from Dark Canyon Middle Point, a dirt airstrip 35 nautical miles west of Monticello, Utah. The private pilot and his passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan had been filed for the cross-country flight being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated from Moab, Utah, at approximately 0800.

According to the pilot, he departed Moab, Utah at 0800 and had landed at Hite and Brown's Rim, before proceeding to Dark Canyon. He reported "7-10 knot [winds] generally out of the east." The landing at Dark Canyon was uneventful and after parking the airplane, he noted that runway surface was rough with "clump grass" and the dirt was soft. At 1028, the pilot noted the "winds [were] variable from 7 to 10 knots with gusts to 15 generally from the east" and elected to depart to the east. The ground roll was slow due to the soft dirt. Approximately two thirds down the runway, the airplane struck a "hump" and became airborne. The pilot lowered the nose slightly to gain airspeed. At the end of the runway, "the wind shifted from a headwind to a tailwind" and the airplane settled into the juniper bushes at the departure end of the runway and nosed over. Both wing spars were bent, the windscreen fragmented, and the nose wheel strut was bent aft, crushing the bottom of the fuselage. An examination of the systems revealed no anomalies.

NTSB Probable Cause

the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during takeoff. Contributing factors include the sudden windshift and the bushes.