Narrative:

I was alone and taking off from a rough landing strip in the idaho back-country. I had just landed [when another pilot] took off in his carbon cub to [a field] about 20 min away. I saw that he took off from midfield and I thought it would be more prudent to go to the very; very top of the hill to use all available runway. I first walked the ground to insure there were no large holes or rocks in the grass at the top. Convinced the ground was clear I returned to my airplane and taxied uphill past some construction material and construction equipment. I turned the airplane downhill; confirmed it was properly configured and applied full power. Moments after starting the initial take-off roll I noticed for the first time an atv with a large halogen light bar on top; parked close by. No sooner I had seen it then I heard a substantial smack on the left wing. I immediately cut the power and aborted takeoff. Unfortunately; because of the steep downhill incline and loose gravel surface on hard soil; braking and directional ground control were poor. Despite the fairly slight impact to the lower fabric on the end of the left wing; it was enough to upset the direction of the light sport aircraft and send it turning to the left towards a sloping rock 5 foot drop off down a retaining wall. Using the right brake; I was able to redirect the airplane to the right mostly missing the drop off but the left wheel dropped a foot or two and that brought the rear horizontal stabilizer in contact with a rock as the tail dropped down. Because of the steep slope the airplane wanted to keep going fast. Still on gravel I avoided a cliff further down on the left and using additional right braking I was able to coax the airplane back into the center. However the incline and gravel continued to hinder braking. Along the other side (my right) of the landing strip was tall grass so using a little extra right braking I coaxed the airplane off the gravel. With the nose pointing downhill in the grass; the wheels got some purchase and I was able to bring the airplane to a stop. I leaned forward to apply the parking brakes and started to shut down when to my shock and amazement the tail slowly began to rise; imperceptibly at first and then faster and faster. Eventually it reached its tipping point and just went kerplunk; nose down onto the dirt. I made sure everything was shut off; removed my seat belt; opened the door and stepped out on the tire. I immediately pulled the tail back down. Using a rock under a wheel I removed the parking brakes and pulled the airplane sideways to the hill and further into the grass so the landing strip was clear. I am fairly confident the engine had finished shutting down but I can't be absolutely sure. Only an a&P can make that determination. I can say that the prop; which is a delicate composite light weight two bladed catto; did not shatter but did badly de-laminate one tip. Also; the delicate carbon-fiber spinner got pushed in by the weight of the airplane. As a result of this experience I now know I should have talked to a local expert for that landing strip before taking off. I am sure they would have advised me to avoid the top area because of the potential for danger around unusual obstructions such as construction materials or misplaced vehicles. In this case because of the excellent takeoff performance of my particular airplane and the downhill nature of the takeoff that there was more than enough room for a safe takeoff far from the top. I am going to get 5 hours of remedial specialized mountain flying at the mountain and canyon flying school.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LSA pilot reported striking a vehicle during an attempted takeoff from a rough backcountry strip resulting in loss of control and damage to the aircraft. The aircraft was eventually stopped on the side of the runway but tipped onto its nose.

Narrative: I was alone and taking off from a rough landing strip in the Idaho back-country. I had just landed [when another pilot] took off in his Carbon Cub to [a field] about 20 min away. I saw that he took off from midfield and I thought it would be more prudent to go to the very; very top of the hill to use all available runway. I first walked the ground to insure there were no large holes or rocks in the grass at the top. Convinced the ground was clear I returned to my airplane and taxied uphill past some construction material and construction equipment. I turned the airplane downhill; confirmed it was properly configured and applied full power. Moments after starting the initial take-off roll I noticed for the first time an ATV with a large halogen light bar on top; parked close by. No sooner I had seen it then I heard a substantial smack on the left wing. I immediately cut the power and aborted takeoff. Unfortunately; because of the steep downhill incline and loose gravel surface on hard soil; braking and directional ground control were poor. Despite the fairly slight impact to the lower fabric on the end of the left wing; it was enough to upset the direction of the light sport aircraft and send it turning to the left towards a sloping rock 5 foot drop off down a retaining wall. Using the right brake; I was able to redirect the airplane to the right mostly missing the drop off but the left wheel dropped a foot or two and that brought the rear horizontal stabilizer in contact with a rock as the tail dropped down. Because of the steep slope the airplane wanted to keep going fast. Still on gravel I avoided a cliff further down on the left and using additional right braking I was able to coax the airplane back into the center. However the incline and gravel continued to hinder braking. Along the other side (my right) of the landing strip was tall grass so using a little extra right braking I coaxed the airplane off the gravel. With the nose pointing downhill in the grass; the wheels got some purchase and I was able to bring the airplane to a stop. I leaned forward to apply the parking brakes and started to shut down when to my shock and amazement the tail slowly began to rise; imperceptibly at first and then faster and faster. Eventually it reached its tipping point and just went kerplunk; nose down onto the dirt. I made sure everything was shut off; removed my seat belt; opened the door and stepped out on the tire. I immediately pulled the tail back down. Using a rock under a wheel I removed the parking brakes and pulled the airplane sideways to the hill and further into the grass so the landing strip was clear. I am fairly confident the engine had finished shutting down but I can't be absolutely sure. Only an A&P can make that determination. I can say that the prop; which is a delicate composite light weight two bladed CATTO; did not shatter but did badly de-laminate one tip. Also; the delicate carbon-fiber spinner got pushed in by the weight of the airplane. As a result of this experience I now know I should have talked to a local expert for that landing strip before taking off. I am sure they would have advised me to avoid the top area because of the potential for danger around unusual obstructions such as construction materials or misplaced vehicles. In this case because of the excellent takeoff performance of my particular airplane and the downhill nature of the takeoff that there was more than enough room for a safe takeoff far from the top. I am going to get 5 hours of remedial specialized mountain flying at the mountain and canyon flying school.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.