Primary finding
Probable cause
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The student pilot departed from the airport in his unregistered, single seat, home built airplane. His daughter was seated on his lap, between his body and the flight controls. According to the student pilot, at approximately 400 feet mean sea level, the engine lost power. He attempted a landing on a dirt road in a nearby tree nursery and the airplane collided with the terrain. The student considered this an ultralight, but he estimated it had a speed of 95 to 100 mph, its empty weight was about 300 lbs, and its 10 gal fuel tank had about 8 gal of fuel remaining. There were no records for the aircraft and the pilot owner could not supply a list of installed components to compute its empty weight.
Source record
Factual narrative
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