LIMINGTON — A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board shows an aircraft that crashed at Limington Harmon Airport July 12, killing the pilot, stalled before regaining power, and then crashed into some trees just minutes after takeoff.

The pilot of the Culver LFA, Clarke Tate, 52, of Gray, died in the crash, which took place at about 4:45 p.m. that Saturday.

Tate, who had previously worked as a pilot, most recently for a charter firm, had purchased the 1942 two-seater aircraft, which he based at Twitchell Airport in Turner, in September. He was taking off for Turner when the crash took place.

According to the NTSB report, which was issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, witnesses who lived next to the departure end of the runway heard a momentary sputter of engine noise, followed by a return to power.

“The engine noise then seemed normal for 5 to 10 seconds, which was followed by the sound of an impact,” the preliminary report states. It said the witnesses didn’t see the impact, but noted that the airplane was not as high as it should have been at the end of the runway.

The airplane departed on a 2,973-foot long, 50-foot wide, asphalt runway, according to the report. Another witness told investigators that the airplane took off in a “nose-high” attitude, which was followed by a stall to the left and subsequent impact with trees off the left side of the runway. The airplane came to rest in an area of trees on a northerly heading about 250 feet south of the runway, the report goes on to say.

The report described conditions at the crash scene: “The 20-gallon header fuel tank was compromised during impact and a strong odor of fuel was present at the site. Both main landing gear were extended and partially separated during impact. The wings remained attached to the fuselage and exhibited … damage. The (tail assembly) remained intact and was canted left. Examination of the cockpit revealed that the throttle and mixture controls were in the full-forward position. The magneto switch was on both, the carburetor heat was off and the primer was in and locked.”

The airplane was equipped with a Continental Motors C-85-12F, 85-horsepower engine, which was retained by the NTSB for further examination. Additionally, the report states that a GPS was recovered from the cockpit and forwarded to the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Laboratory in Washington, D.C. for examination.

The report shows Tate held an airline transport pilot certificate. His most recent FAA first-class medical certificate was issued on April 30. At that time, he reported a total flight experience of 5,995 hours, of which 195 hours were flown during the previous six months.

The crash that killed Tate was the second at Limington Harmon Airport in a year. According to the FAA, a student pilot, Anthony Longley, 58, of Naples, died Aug. 30, 2013 when the Cessna 172 he was operating crashed. The cause of that crash has not yet been released. As well, back in January of 1989, two people died after taking off in a Piper aircraft from Limington Harmon Airport. According to the FAA, the probable cause of that crash was failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.