What happened
The aircraft collided with the ground roughly 3/4 mile from the runway end during the initial phase of flight after takeoff.
The investigation
An examination of the aircraft fuel system determined that the fuel selector was set to the right tank position. However, investigators found no evidence of fuel within the right tank. Further inspection revealed that the left fuel tank bladder had been ruptured.
At the crash site, there was no noticeable smell of fuel and no evidence of foliage kill that would indicate a significant fuel spillage. During recovery via helicopter, an attempt to drain fuel from the main aircraft filter yielded no fuel.
Following the recovery of the aircraft to a field at Whitefield Airport, a more detailed inspection was conducted. Investigators found a small amount of fuel in the line leading from the left fuel tank to the fuel selector, but no fuel was present in the line from the right tank to the selector. Upon removing the top skin from the right wing and extracting the fuel tank bladder, investigators found the bladder contained no fuel. A small hole was identified near the bottom of the bladder along the inboard end, where the surrounding structure was heavily creased.