What happened
During a climb through 2,000 feet following takeoff, the engine of the aircraft experienced an abrupt failure. The pilot attempted to restart the engine, but these efforts were unsuccessful. Consequently, a forced landing was performed on a golf course, during which the aircraft collided with trees.
The investigation
A post-crash examination of the engine components revealed that the left magneto would not rotate. Investigators found that the teeth on both the left crankshaft idler gear and the crankshaft gear had broken due to overload. Additionally, the crankshaft gear had become loose.
Further inspection of the left magneto showed that a defect in the rotating magnet caused it to make contact with the magneto case. While the defect was identified as the source of the interference, the exact nature of the defect could not be determined. Records indicated that the magneto had accumulated only 2.3 flight hours since its last overhaul.