ERA11CA279

The pilot said that he conducted a preflight inspection and engine run up, and no anomalies were noted. At 65 feet above ground level on the initial climb, the engine experienced a loss of engine power. He lowered the nose and performed a forced landing, but the airplane touched down hard which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane. He said that the accident could have been prevented if he had tightened the throttle friction which accidentally rolled the power back to the idle position during the initial climb.

The pilot stated that he conducted a preflight inspection and a ground run up prior to the flight. There were no discrepancies noted then, with the takeoff, and initial climb. When the airplane reached approximately 65 feet above the ground, just over the asphalt end section of the runway, he leveled off the climb and raised the flaps. Suddenly, the engine, "quit", had a loss of power. The pilot lowered the nose of the airplane and attempted to level off before landing but hit the ground hard, collapsing the main gears, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage structure. He and the passenger exited the airplane unharmed. Later the pilot realized and confirmed that the friction lock on the engine throttle was not engage correctly resulting in the throttle to roll back to the idle position.