Narrative
During a touch-and-go landing maneuver, after liftoff at approximately 90 knots, the copilot—who was occupying the left seat and flying the aircraft—indicated problems with the right engine. The pilot, who had been observing trucks on the right side of the runway, stated that they could have set the aircraft back down except he thought they might swerve into the trucks. Due to this distraction, he was not specifically looking at the instruments. The pilot then took control of the aircraft, which subsequently settled adjacent to the runway and burst into flames.
Post-Accident Inspection
Inspection of the right engine revealed that all but one of the twelve spark plugs were sooty. The plugs had been installed in a new engine, and the engine had obtained takeoff RPM.
Findings and Probable Cause
The official probable cause was determined as: Occurrence #1 - loss of engine power during initial climb, with the reason for occurrence undetermined; Occurrence #2 - in flight collision with terrain/water during initial climb, with the finding of flight/navigation instrument inattentiveness by the pilot in command.