Sequence of Events
A student pilot and a certified flight instructor were conducting touch-and-go landing practice. During the takeoff from the fourth touch-and-go, while climbing through approximately 200 feet above ground level, the left engine experienced a loss of power. The instructor took control of the aircraft. At about the same time, the student observed oil emanating from the left engine.
The instructor feathered the left engine. At that point, the aircraft was vibrating and indicating an airspeed of 100 miles per hour. The instructor lowered the nose to maintain the best single-engine rate of climb speed. However, at that speed, the aircraft was in a descent. The instructor continued flying over rough terrain toward power lines until recognizing that the aircraft would not sustain flight, then turned toward the most suitable terrain and performed a crash landing.
Post-Accident Examination
Examination of the left engine revealed a broken oil cooler line. However, four quarts of oil remained in the engine, and there was no evidence that the oil loss had caused the engine failure. The spark plugs were heavily sooted, which is indicative of an extremely rich fuel-air mixture. Rough spots were found on the carburetor float chamber needle valve, which reportedly could have allowed the valve to stick open.
Probable Cause
The source does not explicitly state a probable cause.