What happened
During the takeoff climb at approximately 100 to 150 feet above ground level, the engine of the aircraft shut down. The pilot responded by rolling the airplane level and pushing the nose over to attempt an emergency landing in a nearby turf field.
The impact with the ground resulted in substantial damage to the aircraft. Following the crash, the pilot was able to egress the aircraft with assistance from witnesses on the ground.
The investigation
An inspection conducted by an FAA Inspector revealed that the landing gear, spray equipment, and the right wing had separated from the airframe. While fuel was present in both tanks, the engine was found to be seized due to impact damage, and the propeller had separated from the engine crankshaft. Additionally, the engine had rotated 90 degrees within its mounts, and both magnetos and the fuel manifold sustained impact damage. Oil was present on the oil dipstick upon removal.
Witnesses at the scene reported that the engine had not been running smoothly from the time of taxi through the takeoff and until the subsequent shutdown. The investigation also noted that the aircraft operator did not hold the required FAA 14 CFR Part 137 Aerial Application Certificate at the time of the accident.