The light sport airplane collided with terrain after takeoff at about 1600 Pacific time. The private pilot/owner sustained fatal injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the airframe and wings from impact forces and a post-crash fire. Visual conditions prevailed. Witnesses reported the airplane went to an extremely nose-high attitude after liftoff, estimating it never climbed to more than 100 feet agl. The airplane maintained the nose-high attitude as it began to turn back toward the runway and then entered a steep bank to the left, followed by a near-vertical nose-low attitude. The airplane collided with the ground on airport property. It burst into flames about one minute after the ground contact.
