Amateur-built SKYRAIDER II accident near Limington, Maine, November 16, 2023

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

After a short local flight in the experimental amateur-built airplane, the pilot landed, taxied back, and took off to practice landings. Shortly after takeoff, during the initial climb as he crossed the end of the runway at 300 ft above ground level, the engine suddenly lost power for several seconds, regained partial power, then stopped producing power again. The power continued to fluctuate but remained about 800 rpm below full power. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and continued to fly the runway heading to land in a field that was bordered by trees. The airplane continued to descend, and the pilot was unable to clear the treetops. The airplane impacted the trees, then impacted the terrain in a nose-down attitude, resulting in substantial damage to the wings. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed the carburetor was intact and there was no fuel discovered in the lines between the engine-driven fuel pump and the carburetor. Upon further examination, the engine-driven fuel pump contained a substantial amount of corrosion. Although the pilot stated he had turned on the auxiliary fuel pump, no fuel was found in the fuel lines leading into the carburetor. It is likely that the corrosion in the engine-driven fuel pump led to a sporadic ability to provide adequate fuel to the engine, resulting in a partial loss of power from fuel starvation.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.