What happened
The aircraft, a new production airplane manufactured in Romania, had been disassembled and shipped in a crate to the United States. This event marked the first flight following the reassembly of the aircraft. Prior to takeoff, the aircraft had undergone 50 minutes of ground runs and a completed high-speed taxi test.
Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft experienced a loss of engine power. The pilot performed a landing on the runway; however, there was insufficient runway remaining to stop the aircraft before it collided with a building and a fence at the departure end of the runway. There were no injuries reported.
The investigation
The powerplant consisted of a Russian-manufactured 9-cylinder radial engine equipped with a pressure carburetor. During the investigation, the pilot expressed his belief that the carburetor malfunctioned.
An FAA airworthiness inspector, assisted by a Russian factory-trained technician, examined the aircraft. The carburetor was removed from the engine and replaced with a used, serviceable unit. Following this replacement, the engine was started and operated through its normal power range without any noted issues.
The investigation also revealed issues regarding the reassembly process. The inspector noted that the directions for disassembling the aircraft were used as a checklist for reassembly, but these instructions were written exclusively in Russian. Additionally, the Russian technician stated that certain steps on the factory checklist had not been performed.