What happened
The flight began with the aircraft taking off from a haul road that was temporarily serving as an unpaved airstrip. As the plane climbed, it reached approximately 100 feet above ground level when the pilot detected a sudden loss of power. This loss coincided with the engine beginning to overspeed.
In response, the pilot lowered the aircraft's nose to increase airspeed and jettisoned the external load to reduce weight. Despite these efforts, the pilot could not maintain altitude. At roughly the same time, the aircraft drifted over a nearby slurry pond. The subsequent emergency landing resulted in the aircraft touching down on soft, sandy ground, where it nosed over.
The investigation
A mechanical examination of the propeller assembly revealed that both actuating links had failed. Detailed inspection showed wear on the outer semicircular sections of one link, while the other link showed no signs of wear. Notably, the propeller had accumulated 384 hours of service time since its last overhaul.