What happened
The flight crew began the takeoff roll and accelerated down the runway. As the aircraft lifted off and progressed over halfway down the length of the runway in the air, the pilot decided to abort the departure and initiated a go-around procedure. Upon applying full power to climb out, the engine sputtered and then quit completely.
In an attempt to restart or restore fuel flow, the pilot changed the fuel tank selector to a different supply. With power lost, the pilot lowered the nose of the aircraft to maintain airspeed and attempted to land straight ahead. The aircraft impacted the tops of trees at the end of the runway.
The investigation
Following the accident, investigators performed a teardown of the engine to determine the cause of the failure. Examination revealed that there was only a very minor amount of fuel present in several critical components, including the boost pump, selector valve, fuel strainer, engine-driven fuel pump, and carburetor.
Findings
The primary factor leading to the accident was the loss of engine power during the initial climb phase. The investigation indicated that the fuel system was nearly empty or blocked, preventing adequate fuel delivery to the engine when full power was demanded for the go-around maneuver.