What happened
The pilot had just taken off at night on a flight to Mexico when he declared an intent to return and land with some unspecified emergency. While he was using his radio, the sound of both engines, running at high power, was audible. When asked if he required assistance, he gave an affirmative reply, but when asked if he required a crash crew, he gave a negative reply. Shortly after that, the aircraft collided with power lines about 1 mile from the runway, then impacted the ground and was demolished by fire. Impact with the power lines occurred at about 55 feet above ground level. A wire impact mark on the nose door indicated the aircraft was in a vertical bank when the collision occurred.
The investigation
An examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure; however, there was extensive damage from fire. There was evidence that the aircraft was loaded beyond its maximum certificated gross weight. The pilot had a temporary U.S. license based on his Canadian license.
Findings
The investigation determined that the aircraft was overloaded at the time of departure. This excess weight likely contributed to the inability to maintain controlled flight during the return attempt. The pilot was operating under a temporary authorization derived from foreign credentials. The sequence of events suggests a loss of control or insufficient performance capability shortly after takeoff, leading to the collision with infrastructure and subsequent ground impact.