What happened
The accident occurred while the aircraft was climbing out from the airport. During the climbout, the pilot communicated with the control tower, reporting that the engine had developed a problem. The tower immediately cleared the pilot to land at the airport.
Instead of returning to the runway, the pilot overshot the departure end. As the aircraft approached the departure threshold, the pilot established a very high climb angle in an attempt to clear powerlines and trees located near the airport boundary. During this maneuver, control of the airplane was lost. The aircraft subsequently impacted a heavily wooded area in a nose-down attitude.
The investigation
Following the accident, investigators conducted an engine teardown to determine the mechanical condition of the powerplant. The examination revealed significant corrosion and corrosion pitting throughout the interior of the engine components.