The airplane was substantially damaged at 1000 Eastern time while attempting to depart. The private pilot and the passenger incurred minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot later stated, “something didnt feel right” at about the midpoint of the runway during the takeoff. After lifting off, the airplane settled back to the runway, then lifted off again. He then retracted the landing gear. Shortly thereafter, he noticed the engine was losing power gradually. Seeing the trees at the end of the runway were “coming up quicker” than the pilot wanted them to, he veered the airplane off the left side of the runway toward a road. The airplane continued to settle onto the ground, and the pilot reduced the throttle to idle. The airplane struck a road sign and fire hydrant, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, before coming to rest.
