The photodissociation spectroscopy and dynamics resulting from excitation of the (B) over tilde (2)A"<--(X) over tilde (2)A" transition of CH2CFO have been examined using fast beam photofragment translational spectroscopy. The photofragment yield spectrum reveals vibrationally resolved structure between 29 870 and 38 800 cm(-1), extending similar to6000 cm(-1) higher in energy than previously reported in a laser-induced fluorescence excitation spectrum. At all photon energies investigated, only the CH2F+CO and HCCO+HF fragment channels are observed. Both product channels yield photofragment translational energy distributions that are characteristic of a decay mechanism with a barrier to dissociation. Using the barrier impulsive model, it is shown that fragmentation to CH2F+ CO products occurs on the ground state potential energy surface with the isomerization barrier between CH2CFO and CH2FCO governing the observed translational energy distributions. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.