What happened
Shortly after takeoff, at an altitude of approximately 150 feet AGL, the engine of the aircraft began to misfire. The pilot responded by lowering the nose, which caused the engine to return to normal operation. As the pilot re-established a climb, the engine failed completely.
Following the engine failure, the pilot declared an emergency and attempted to land. However, the aircraft's airspeed became too low, causing the aircraft to enter a spin. Before impacting the terrain, the aircraft flared and struck the ground in a level attitude. Following the impact, the aircraft caught fire and was destroyed.
Witnesses at the scene noted that there was approximately 1,500 feet of usable runway remaining when the engine failure occurred. The pilot reported having approximately 3.5 gallons of fuel on board prior to takeoff.