Witness Observations
According to a witness, the airplane was in a steep nose-up attitude after becoming airborne, then rolled left and impacted the ground while in a slight nose-up and left wing low attitude. A controller in the tower cab observed the airplane in a normal climb attitude after becoming airborne approximately 1,000 feet down the runway. About 500 feet further, the airplane pitched up to an estimated 30-45 degrees, then leveled off at an estimated altitude of 150-200 feet above ground level. Approximately 5 seconds later, the wings were noted to rock up and down and the airplane drifted north of the runway. The airplane rolled nose and left wing low, then appeared to level off before impacting the ground while in a slight nose-up and left wing low attitude. The controller did not hear any unusual engine sounds during the flight and could not determine if the engines were run-up before departure. No distress call was made by the pilot.
Flight History
The owner recently purchased the airplane and had a pre-buy inspection; no discrepancies were noted related to the flight controls. The airplane was flown from California to Florida and delivered 2 days before the accident. The pilot who flew the airplane to Florida reported it was a "fairly flawless trip." He did report that the autopilot was inoperative and the digital fuel flow meter was inoperative. No repairs were performed to correct the inoperative autopilot before the accident flight. The accident pilot flew the airplane on 3 separate flights earlier on the day of the accident. During the takeoff of all 3 flights, a pilot-rated passenger later reported that the airplane pitched up aggressively during rotation. The passenger looked at the elevator trim setting and noted it was in the correct range for takeoff. During the landing of the third leg, the accident pilot reportedly performed a full stall landing from a height of 10 feet. The airplane was then taxied to the ramp and both fuel tanks were topped off for the accident flight. No maintenance was performed to the elevator primary or secondary flight control systems as a result of the reported excessive pitch-up events.
Aircraft Examination
Examination of the primary and secondary flight control system revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction of the cables. The elevator trim was found set to 4 to 5 degrees aircraft nose-down. The flaps were extended 10 degrees, and the landing gear was extended at impact. Examination of the front and rear engine propellers and propeller governors revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. Examination of the pilot's seat tracks revealed both exhibited evidence of lock pin engagement at the time of impact in the 9th hole from the front. The airplane was calculated to be within weight and balance limits at the time of the accident.