Incident Overview
A pilot reported that after taking off to practice touch-and-go landings, the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to make a forced landing on the airport but was unable to reach the runway. During the landing short of the runway, the aircraft struck the top of a tree and the airport security fence.
Maintenance and Examination
Maintenance had just been performed on the aircraft prior to the incident. An examination of the engine revealed that the oil temperature 'bulb' had inadvertently been left out of the oil filter. Subsequently, oil was pumped overboard, and the engine seized due to oil exhaustion.
Conclusion
The incident was caused by the engine seizure resulting from oil exhaustion, which occurred because the oil temperature bulb was omitted from the oil filter during maintenance.