American Champion Aircraft 8KCAB — Sebewaing, MI

What happened

A certified flight instructor was conducting a flight review with a private pilot who was the airplane owner. One witness, who was a pilot, observed the takeoff roll and reported that the engine sounded normal. Another witness, who lived near the accident site, observed the airplane takeoff and climb above power lines that were south of the departure end of the runway. The witness reported that the airplane's engine "sputtered" and the airplane banked to the left. The airplane then turned back toward the airport and the engine lost power completely. The airplane subsequently nose dived into a cornfield and a postcrash fire ensued. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed one propeller blade with a chordwise abrasion and leading edge nicks. No anomalies were found with the engine or the other airplane systems. Examination of the accident site revealed no damage to the powerlines that surrounded the area. Additionally, there was a suitable forced landing area straight ahead on the departure flight path, south of the power lines that bounded the cornfield.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.