What happened
Shortly after departing from a rough private airstrip, the aircraft reached an altitude of approximately 150 feet AGL when the engine began to lose power. Because the aircraft was unable to sustain flight, the pilot attempted an emergency landing. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the aircraft and caused both serious and minor injuries to the occupants.
The investigation
Post-accident investigation determined that the engine's air induction system was obstructed by a field mouse nest. This obstruction caused an almost complete restriction of the airflow into the engine. Due to the specific location of the nest within the system, the restriction could not be visually identified during the preflight inspection. The pilot reported that while the pre-takeoff runup appeared satisfactory, it is believed that the vibrations from takeoff on the rough private strip caused the nest to become dislodged and drawn further into the induction system and carburetor, leading to the loss of engine power.