July 26, Batavia, N.Y. / Lionheart

At 10:41 eastern time, an amateur-built Lionheart crashed on takeoff from Genesee County Airport. The three occupants were uninjured. The pilot told investigators he was attempting a takeoff from runway 28 when the airplane drifted to the right and off the runway surface. The airplane became airborne, but the tailwheel struck the turf and the airplane porpoised. The landing gear collapsed and the airplane slid into some barriers around the airports tetrahedron. Winds at the time were reported as light and variable. The pilot reported that he had about 6,300 hours of flight time, with 6 hours in the accident airplane.