19980626024489A

Worked on fuel selector. On test flight engine quit. Tried return. Impacted nose first. Fuel selector improper. (-23) after performing maintenance on the aircraft fuel system, in particular the fuel selector, the pilot was decided to do a maintenance test flight. Shortly after takeoff from runway 31 @ 003, the aircraft lost power. The pilot tried to return to the runway. The engine regained power momentarily but lost power again. The aircraft struck the ground in a nose down attitude, at approx. a 45 degree heading to runway 13. The aircraft slid across the runway and down a slight embankment, coming to rest about 50 yards off the runway. Investigation found that the fuel selector handle was installed incorrectly after maintnance by the A&P rated owner. (.4) a witness to the accident reported that the airport is located on a plateau and that the surrounding area is not suitable for an off-field landing. The witness reported that he observed the airplane takeoff and as it passed by it looked and sounded normal. He returned to his hangar and heard the engine go to idle. The witness went outside and observed the aircraft losing altitude as it made a 180-degree turn to attempt a return to the runway. The witness reported that the engine caught and sounded as if it was at full power, the airplane regained some altitude, and then the engine stopped. The airplane descended into the ground short of the runway. The pilot stated that he had completed work on the fuel selector handle and had inadvertently reversed the handle when he reinstalled it into the airplane. When he selected the main tank with the fuel selector handle, the fuel valve for the main tank would have been closed and the fuel valve for the aft tank would have been open. The pilot stated that he had refueled the main tank, but the aft tank did not have enough fuel in it to keep the engine running.