Eerily similar to an experience I had back in 1978. I was a fairly green pilot working as an apprentice A&P at the old Antioch airport and I was supposed to give a ferry ride for a CFI and two adults back to Concord in an AA5 Cheetah. Halfway down the runway I decided to abort. The CFI insisted that we were okay but I insisted nope so we left one of the passengers behind. I guess we'll never know who was right but I'm here to tell the story

I’ve just started carrying passengers as a private pilot again. You may not have been able to help these people, but you have helped me. Thank you.

My brother lives at Sierra Skypark on Doolittle Drive, witnessed the takeoff and crash, and shared multiple ring camera and other videos of this flight.  He was the first person down to the crash site.  In the video she rotated and lifted off half way down the runway and climbed to @30 to 50 feet.  About 80% down the runway as the aircraft goes behind a hanger in the video you can hear the engine slightly lose RPM or throttle back and that was not mentioned.  It is distinct in the video record and the engine rpm is slightly reduced and then regains some RPM.   She was pitched up and struggling to gain altitude after rotation.  Seconds later you can hear the tree impact and crash.  She owned the aircraft company that owned the Gruman.   Flight Aware data shows she had been flying this aircraft every other day for weeks.  She was a flight instructor at Tulare College.  In the video the aircraft is struggling to gain altitude while the nose was not level and slightly pitched up and barely making 70 knots.  Sad loss of life and prayers to the family.  The San Joaquin river bluff is not really an embankment at the runway location as much as it is level with the runway and about 100 feet above the river below.

Marginal power, close to max gross weight, warm day, perhaps incorrect takeoff trim was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak. Once you get the nose up high, you're behind the power curve, and it's all over but the crying.. Sad situation, it looks like this accident was entirely preventable.

When flying in Georgia during the 1990s an acquaintance of mine owned Beech Sport, this a spacious cabin  “4 place“ with about 150 hp.  He wanted to take a client for a ride so she climbed into the bird with the pilots son for a quick ride around the area …. it was a hot 90+ degree summer day.. the Pilot’s weight 260, the son’s 210, and the ladies estimated at 260+. These are Big southern folks….they left the runway after a very long ground run  and just barely got around the pattern with the stall horn never ending until they landed. LUCKY TO BE ALIVE!

My late father was a high time pilot who owned dozens of aircraft. He always brought the nose slightly down and accelerated in ground effect before climbing no matter which aircraft he was flying.

Our condolences to the family and friends of the victims.
Thank you Juan, good luck and keep working.

You are so good at explaining this stuff to us non-pilots

Your analysis may have come too late to save this family, but all current and future pilots should listen to each and every Blancoliro video in order to prevent the next family tragedy. May the family that lost their lives in this tragic flight RIP

Many of us (money constrained) are now flying very old airplanes that might not be developing their rated power. I flew this very type (Grumman Traveler) in a club. One day I flew it out to an airport with a 5000ft elevation, 5500 ft runway, and did touch and go there, being the only person on board, so decidedly well below gross weight limits. I was mildly shocked by the climb performance. So much so, that I did not turn on course but started gently turning back into the pattern, towards the runway, thinking that maybe I had an engine problem. I had an old, underpowered airplane problem. I never did this again in the airplane. I don't even want to think what it would have been like with four people.

Back in the 80's & 90's, I had a friend Richard Wolfe that owned several airplanes he had on lease back to an FBO at Compton airport.  He had been a B-17 co-pilot in the 8th Air Force during WW2.  He always said the full load of bombs on their missions taught him to always fly to the numbers of best performance in any situation.

The poor children. Heartbreaking.

There is no levee of the end of the runway. Level ground until it drops off steeply downwards. If you turn 15° left on takeoff you don’t even have to fly over the trees.

Danna was a flight instructor at Reedley College. RIP Danna, her husband Craig and their two children.

I trained a new pilot in his Grumman Cheetah He was based in Page AZ (KPGA) and bought the airplane so he could commute to work at Bullfrog Marina Airport up Lake Powell. I took him up there (just the two of us and half fuel) so he could see what density altitude did to his airplane. Short runway, high density altitude. We took off and went between the hills on either side of the takeoff path lower than the top of the hills. I told him to never try this airport with 4 people of full fuel. He never did.

Tragic.  Well explained and respectful as always, thank-you.

A hard one to listen to.
Thanks Juan.
Important information given, sensitively handled. Best wishes to all concerned

Having lived there, knowing the trees at the end, I'm surprised she didn't instinctively veer away from them once she realized she didn't have the lift above ground effect

Thanks. I was a teenager in Civil Air Patrol when the Yankee came out. Our Squadron got to visit the factory. I remember it was using honeycomb composit panels which was cutting edge at the time.

My dad owns and flies one of these. I can't imagine having more than two souls on board