Background
Prior to departure, the pilot obtained a standard weather briefing and filed an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The pilot then took off.
Flight and Malfunction
Approximately four minutes after takeoff, after several routine radio communications, the air traffic controller issued a radar vector to the pilot. The pilot did not acknowledge. The controller repeated the vector. A squelch break occurred, and in the background, a noise and tone could be heard. The pilot then reported, "We have got some sort of malfunction going on here."
Accident Sequence
Witnesses reported hearing an engine sputtering and losing power. The airplane emerged from a low overcast in a flat counterclockwise spin. The airplane impacted a street and driveway in a residential subdivision.
Post-Accident Investigation
On-scene investigation disclosed that the landing gear and flaps were retracted. Both elevators were deflected up and jammed by impact. Examination of the airplane revealed the cockpit fuel selector handles were in the LEFT TANK-LEFT ENGINE/RIGHT TANK-RIGHT ENGINE positions. The left and right fuel selector valves, located in the wheel wells, were in the OFF and ON positions, respectively.
Analysis of the ATC communications tape revealed two engines operating until the pilot reported the malfunction, after which only one engine sound could be heard. A steady 1,000-hertz tone, similar to an aural stall warning system, was also heard.
Both engines, turbochargers, and propellers were later disassembled and examined. No anomalies were noted. Neither propeller was feathered.
Pilot Information
The day before the accident, the pilot had undergone recurrent ground and flight training, a flight review, and an instrument proficiency check in the airplane. Flight time totaled 5.3 hours.