SHORTLY AFTER GEAR RETRACTION ON TKOF FROM BED; PLT OF NAVION EXPERIENCES MOMENTARY ENG FAILURE. UNABLE TO RESTORE PWR OR EXTEND GEAR COMPLETELY BEFORE RECONTACTING RWY.

Narrative

I WAS DEPARTING HANSOM FIELD; BEDFORD; MA; ON RWY 29. AFTER PERFORMING A GND RUN-UP AND MAGNETIC CHK; WHICH WERE NORMAL; I TOOK THE RWY; APPLIED PWR AND ALL SEEMED NORMAL ON THE TKOF ROLL. AFTER LIFTOFF; I RETRACTED THE GEAR TO GAIN ALT. AT THIS TIME; THERE WAS AN ABRUPT PWR LOSS. I LOWERED THE NOSE TO MAINTAIN AIRSPD AND PUT THE GEAR SELECTOR IN THE DOWN POS. THEN; I TURNED ON THE BOOST PUMP AND THE ENG STARTED TO PRODUCE PWR; BUT AT THIS POINT GND CONTACT WAS MADE AND I THOUGHT IT PRUDENT TO CUT PWR AND SHUT OFF MAGNETOS AND MASTER SWITCH TO AVERT THE POSSIBILITY OF FIRE. THE NOSE GEAR AND R GEAR HAD COME DOWN AND LOCKED; BUT THE L GEAR DID NOT HAVE TIME TO FULLY EXTEND PRIOR TO GND CONTACT. THE PLANE VEERED OFF THE L SIDE OF THE RWY AND STOPPED. AT THIS POINT; I IMMEDIATELY EVACED THE ACFT. AFTER THE RESULTS OF THE AFTER INCIDENT INSPECTION WERE KNOWN; I SUSPECT THAT WHEN I WAS TAXIING AND PERFORMING THE RUN-UP PRIOR TO TKOF I WAS USING ONE OF THE TIP TANKS THAT WAS NEARLY EMPTY AND I PICKED UP A GULP OF AIR THAT SHOWED UP ON THE TKOF; EVEN THOUGH I WAS ON THE MAIN TANKS FOR TKOF. I WILL AND WOULD RECOMMEND USING ONLY TANKS WITH A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF FUEL TO PRECLUDE PICKING UP AIR; ESPECIALLY ON A VERY HOT DAY WHICH WAS WHEN THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED.