December 12, 2008, New Bern, N.C., Piper PA-28-235

The airplane was substantially damaged at about 1615 Eastern time during a forced landing after takeoff from a private airstrip. The commercial pilot was not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. Near the conclusion of the pre-flight inspection, a friend of the pilot stopped by, and they talked for about 20 minutes. During the conversation, fuel began running out of the right-wing fuel vent. After concluding the conversation, the pilot taxied the airplane to the end of the runway, performed a run-up and placed the fuel selector on the right main tank, in response to the venting fuel. The pilot did not note any abnormalities during the run-up.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

During pre-flight, a pilot was distracted by a friend, leading to a visible fuel leak from the right-wing vent.
In response, the pilot selected the right main fuel tank for takeoff.
Shortly after lifting off and reaching 100 feet, the engine completely lost power.
An attempted forced landing resulted in the aircraft striking a ditch, causing substantial damage and shearing off the landing gear.

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The airplane was substantially damaged at about 1615 Eastern time during a forced landing after takeoff from a private airstrip. The commercial pilot was not injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

Near the conclusion of the pre-flight inspection, a friend of the pilot stopped by, and they talked for about 20 minutes. During the conversation, fuel began running out of the right-wing fuel vent. After concluding the conversation, the pilot taxied the airplane to the end of the runway, performed a run-up and placed the fuel selector on the right main tank, in response to the venting fuel. The pilot did not note any abnormalities during the run-up.

The pilot then began the takeoff roll. The airplane lifted off after a ground roll of about 800 feet. Upon reaching about 100 feet of altitude, the engine suddenly and completely lost power. The pilot turned the airplane to the right to attempt a landing in a field, but did not have enough altitude to clear a ditch. The airplane struck the ditch, which sheared off the landing gear and substantially damaged the airplane.