Accident Details
A pilot at the accident airport reported hearing a pilot announce "Livingston, downwind 31, engine out." The airplane then executed a go-around while over the approach threshold of runway 31. A flight instructor witness observed the twin-engine airplane flying about 100 feet above another airplane that was on its landing roll. The instructor described the airplane as "nose high and flying about 60 to 70 knots, it was wallowing and not gaining altitude or airspeed." The airplane drifted to the right of the runway with a slight right wing down attitude and gained about 50 additional feet. It then stalled, dropped the left wing, turned vertically down, and hit nearly straight down. Other witnesses confirmed the account and added that the left engine's propeller was stopped.
Witness Observations
The flight instructor who flew with the accident pilot on September 23, 1998, stated that the pilot performed the airwork satisfactorily. He noted that during a Vmc demonstration, the pilot correctly initiated the maneuver but did not continue to the point of losing yaw control. The airspeed was approximately 60 knots when the pilot said "that's it" and recovered. The instructor believed the pilot did not have full rudder applied into the good engine during the demonstration.
Pilot History
According to the pilot's logbook, he flew the accident airplane for 1.5 hours on September 23, 1998. The most recent previous flight in the same model of accident airplane was on November 27, 1996.
Investigation Findings
On-scene investigation revealed no anomalies with the airframe, flight control system, or engines and accessories.