MCCLUSKEY CHALLENGER II

Full Narrative

On September 10, 2016, about 0900 mountain standard time, an experimental, amateur-built Challenger II airplane, N6162Y, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Bisbee, Arizona. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot reported that he conducted a few touch-and-go landings followed by two go-arounds. He then flew about 2 miles west of the airport to conduct stalls. On the way back to the airport, while climbing through about 800 feet above ground level, the engine suddenly "shut off" and the airplane’s nose abruptly pitched up. The pilot lowered the nose, established best glide speed, and attempted to restart the engine to no avail. He made a left turn toward a nearby road, but when he tried to level the wings, the left wing remained low. He applied full control stick and rudder in attempt to level the wings, but the airplane continued a left slip toward the ground, landed hard, and slid to a stop, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, left landing gear, and left wing.

The reason for the loss of engine power was not determined based on available information.