What happened
During the initial climb phase following departure from RAF Shawbury, the aircraft reached an altitude of approximately 100 feet. At this moment, the pilot initiated the retraction of the undercarriage. During this maneuver, the left engine suffered a failure.
Due to the loss of power, the aircraft was unable to sustain the necessary airspeed for continued flight. The pilot subsequently executed an emergency descent to perform a forced landing. The aircraft impacted a field and struck a hedge approximately 2.5 miles away from the airfield, resulting in a belly landing. While the aircraft sustained damage beyond repair, the pilot escaped the incident unhurt.
Findings
Investigations into the accident determined that the primary factor was the failure of the left engine during the early stages of the climb.