NTSB Factual Report

On January 6, 2015, about 1545 central standard time, a Cessna 195B, N2125C, impacted terrain during takeoff from the Llano Municipal Airport, Llano, Texas. The pilot and his passenger were not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed for the cross-country flight that was originating at the time of the accident.

The pilot reported that when the tail wheel lifted off the runway, there was a loss of engine power. The engine went from full power to idle power and the pilot thought the engine had quit. The airplane pitched forward and the propeller struck the asphalt runway. The airplane turned slightly to the right, went off the runway, and nosed over.

Federal Aviation Administration inspectors went to the accident site and reported finding no fewer than 15 propeller marks in the runway pavement. Towards the end of the runway, the inspectors noted a white scrape mark consistent with the lower engine cowling scraping the runway as the airplane slid along the pavement. They also documented tire tracks and propeller strikes going off the right side of the runway into the dirt and ending where the airplane nosed over. No anomalies were found with the airplane's controls, engine, or other systems.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot’s overrotation of the airplane when lifting the tail during the takeoff roll, which allowed the propeller to come in contact with the runway and resulted in a reduction in engine power and the pilot’s subsequent loss of directional control.