Purpose Of The Flight Was For The Accident Airplane To Be Photographed By Another Pilot From A Different Airplane Analysis: The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was for the accident airplane to be photographed by another pilot from a different airplane. The pilot stated that he believed there were 35 gallons of fuel onboard the airplane based on the airplane’s flight logs. He was unable to visually verify the actual fluid quantity in the tanks during the preflight inspection because of the design of the tanks and the lower quantity of fuel (below the fuel filler). During the initial climb, at an altitude of about 1,500 ft above ground level (agl), the engine exhibited a partial loss of power.
