CEN09LA561

A witness reported that the airplane had just taken off and that it sounded like the engine was having problems. He reported that the pilot turned the airplane around and was attempting to return to the airstrip. The airplane impacted the ground, bounced, and came to rest inverted. Both wings were separated from the fuselage, which sustained substantial damage. An on-scene inspection of the engine revealed the gascolator bowl was broken away from the engine. Fuel was present in the fuel line leading to the carburetor. Examination of the spark plugs indicated they were blackened with soot. The air intake box was pushed up into the carburetor. The airplane and engine were not accessible for further examination.

On September 3, 2009, at 1930 central daylight time, a Champion 7KCAB, N2629G, collided with the terrain following a loss of engine power on takeoff from a private airstrip in Stacy, Minnesota. The pilot and passenger were seriously injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The personal flight was operating under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident. The airplane took off to the south from the private airstrip just prior to the accident. One of the pilot's sons reported that it sounded like the engine was having problems. He reported the pilot turned the airplane around and was attempting to return to the airstrip to land. The airplane impacted the ground, bounced, and came to rest inverted about 80 feet from the initial impact. An on-scene inspection of the engine revealed the gascolator bowl was broken away from the engine. Fuel was present in the fuel line leading to the carburetor. Examination of the spark plugs indicated they were blackened with soot. The air intake box was pushed up into the carburetor. The airplane and engine were not accessible for further examination. The last annual inspection was performed on November 7, 2006, by the previous aircraft owner. The pilot's last flight review was on August 18, 2006. The last entry in his pilot logbook was dated July 31, 2007. At that time the pilot had logged a total of approximately 150 hours of flight time.