July 10, Pickens, S.C. / Cessna 172

At about 2233 eastern time, a Cessna 172N crashed while attempting to take off from Pickens County Airport. The pilot was not injured. The pilot said he rented the accident airplane because his airplane was inoperable. He said he did not see the gust lock installed in the airplane because it was dark. During the takeoff roll, he attempted to rotate and then discovered the gust lock. He attempted to abort the takeoff but the airplane ran past the end of the runway.