Incident Details
According to reports, the pilot was non-rated and had previously been employed by the aircraft operator. This gave him knowledge of where the aircraft keys were stored. He had no record of flight training, but had flown as a passenger in the same aircraft at least once. He took the aircraft without permission, with the apparent intent of giving two friends a joy ride.
During the takeoff roll and initial climb, the aircraft was seen to pitch up into a steep nose-high attitude. It then transitioned into a steep turn at low speed. The maneuvering escalated into a near-vertical, spinning dive. The aircraft ultimately struck a large metal building and caught fire. Weather conditions included a north wind at 10 knots gusting to 25 knots.
Pilot Background
The pilot had previously been employed by the operator, which is how he knew where the keys were kept. He was not rated to fly the aircraft and had no known flight training. His only previous experience in the aircraft was as a passenger at least once.