NTSB Factual Report

On August 30, 2018, at 1902 Pacific daylight time a Cessna 140, N2167V, lost engine power during takeoff at Tehachapi Municipal Airport, Tehachapi, California. The private pilot was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and forward fuselage. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local flight.

The pilot initially took off at 1837 and performed a series of touch-and-go takeoff and landings while remaining in the traffic pattern. At 1901, while on the fifth landing roll, the pilot decided to perform one more takeoff. Shortly after rotation, at an altitude of about 50 ft above ground level, the engine lost all power. With limited runway available, and hangars to the left and a busy highway to the right, she decided to attempt a 180° left turn back to the runway. During the turn the airplane struck the adjacent taxiway to the south.