June 18, Westfield, Ind. / Bellanca Citabria

At 16:36 eastern time, the pilot of a Bellanca 7ECA lost control and crashed while making a forced landing after losing engine power during initial climb from runway 36 at Westfield Airport. The pilot was killed and the passenger was seriously injured. Witnesses said the aircraft was in a shallow, slow climb when it crossed the departure end of runway 36. At about 150 feet, the engine stopped. The airplane began to turn left and apparently stalled. Examination of the aircraft revealed that the scat-ducting that provided air to the heat-muff was obstructed by two pieces of foam that were inserted into the inlets located on the lower engine cowl.