Incident Overview
During the initial climb after takeoff, the aircraft experienced a loss of engine power. The pilot executed a forced landing into trees. The aircraft came to rest in the trees, having spun around approximately 180 degrees during the descent.
Pilot Report
The pilot recounted the sequence of events: "The airplane lifted off at between 75 and 78 mph and everything was normal. At 25 to 30 feet in the air I began to experience backfiring and loss of power. Then the power resumed momentarily and the engine caught again lifting us above the trees. Then the engine started backfiring severely with [a] loss of power. As we began settling into the trees I shut off the master switch and chose a tree to hit with one wing in order to break our forward motion and to slow the aircraft. The aircraft spun around doing a 180 degree turn settling into the trees." The pilot also noted that after exiting the airplane, he "saw a small amount of smoke coming from the [cowling]."
Post-Accident Inspection
Examination of the engine compartment revealed fire damage to the air filter assembly, air intake ducting, and rubberized engine compartment baffling. All muffler baffles were either burned or missing.
Conclusion
The investigation did not identify a probable cause for the loss of engine power.