Accident Details
Shortly after takeoff from Runway 7, the pilot informed FAA controllers of an engine failure. Controllers observed the landing gear retract and then immediately extend. Witnesses saw the aircraft at tree-top level executing a turn to the north with the landing gear extended, the left engine shut down, and its propeller feathered. The aircraft descended and struck the top of a tree while wings level. It then rolled 90 degrees to the right and impacted the ground. The aircraft subsequently cartwheeled and slid backward into a tree, where it came to rest.
Engine Examination
Examination of the left engine revealed that the engine-driven fuel pump drive coupling was rounded off and not turning the pump. The drive coupling was found to be too short for the model of the fuel pump drive shaft. A 1993 FAA Airworthiness Directive that mandates checking for the proper length drive coupling had not been complied with.
Flight Manual Procedures
The aircraft's flight manual specifies that the first action to be performed by the pilot after an engine failure is to raise the landing gear. The manual also states that single-engine performance is based on the landing gear being retracted.