Could be. A lot of crashes happen that way, even though flight students have been told to land on the softest, cheapest thing in front of them in case of engine failure. They are told not to turn back and that's been the advice for decades.
Wonder what is off the end of the runway? Perhaps he was trying to minimize damage on the ground.
Yet pilots continue to kill themselves that way.
Something happens to the decision process when it's your airplane that's failed and you want to get it back.
Good friend of mine, CFII and all that, pounded it into his students and then what did he do when his personal aircraft had an engine failure on takeoff?
Tried to turn back with less than the magical 700 feet AGL number in the bank, stalled, spun in and killed himself.
We all think "I'll never be that dumb" but I guess you don't know until it happens to you.
I had an engine failure in a Bonanza I had just bought, 600 feet AGL out of Goodland Kansas, ended up in a corn field just some belly damage. 75% of folks lose an engine below 1000 feet stall and go stright in.