What happened
While operating in the landing pattern at Space Coast Regional Airport (TIX) in Titusville, Florida, an aircraft approached the right pattern abeam of the landing point for runway 09. During this phase of flight, the aircraft abruptly entered a vertical attitude and dove toward the ground.
The flight was being conducted as a dual check-out procedure, with a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) acting as a passenger while a rated Commercial pilot performed the flight controls. As the pilot applied zero thrust to the right engine in preparation for single-engine landing practice, the aircraft suddenly entered a left half-roll and pitched down, resulting in a collision with the terrain. The CFI was the sole survivor of the accident.
The investigation
A post-crash examination of the engines, airframe, and various components was conducted. The investigation revealed no mechanical failures or causal defects within the aircraft's systems.
Findings
The CFI noted that he was not actively controlling the aircraft with the pilot at the time of the incident and could not confirm the specific control pressures being applied. The instructor suggested that turbulence or air instability, potentially caused by outflow from nearby power plant smoke stacks or a recent runway configuration change from 27 to 09, might have contributed to the event. However, two experienced tower controllers at TIX stated they had no record of aircraft in the pattern reporting instability related to the smoke stacks.