N8188FSmith Wylie Jay KIT FOX II · 1996

The pilot of the amateur-built Kit Fox II stated that he completed an approximate 20-minute cross-country flight uneventfully. While in flight, the airplane performed well with no problems, and he landed at a private airstrip. After the visit, he elected to depart back to his home airport. No anomalies were detected during the ground run-up. During the takeoff, about 150 feet above ground level, the engine "failed." The pilot elected not to land straight ahead due to the large trees. He entered a gentle turn to the left and aimed for a patch of small pine trees. When the impact became imminent, he slowed the airplane as much as possible. The airplane impacted the top of the trees about 30 mph. After breaking off several small tops, the right wing contacted a large tree. Upon this impact, the airplane stopped forward motion and began to descend to the ground. The right wing caught a branch and the airplane impacted the ground left wing tip first. The pilot was able to exit the airplane on his own and was uninjured.

The postaccident examination discovered that small particles of debris in the fuel had lodged in the fuel inlet port of the carburetor. The pilot had been trouble-shooting an intermittent engine problem and had just replaced the fuel hoses from the fuel tank to the carburetors before the flight. He did not reinstall the fuel in-line filters at that time.