Sequence of Events
Shortly after lifting off the runway and climbing to an altitude of 50 feet—approximately 10 seconds into the flight—the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to land on the remaining 2,000 feet of runway, but determined there was insufficient distance to bring the airplane to a safe stop. He therefore elected to abort the landing.
The airplane did not become airborne again but traveled about 300 feet before departing the runway onto soft, muddy ground. During the ground excursion, the nose wheel collapsed and was torn off. This caused wrinkling of the fuselage behind the firewall, a 4-inch hole in the fuselage, and damage to the horizontal stabilizer.
Post-Incident Findings
Airport emergency personnel who responded to the scene reported that the protective coverings for the engine air scoops were still in place at the time of the incident.
Damage Summary
The nose gear was destroyed, and structural damage occurred to the fuselage and tail section. The aircraft came to rest on soft terrain after leaving the runway.