What happened
During an attempt to return to the departure airport following takeoff, an aircraft struck a transmission wire, a single-story storage building, and the terrain. At the time of the accident, instrument meteorological conditions were in effect, with ceilings estimated between 400 and 800 feet agl and surface visibility between 1 and 3 miles.
After departing, the pilot was unable to establish clear radio communication with air traffic control; controllers described transmissions as weak and unreadable. Communication was eventually relayed via another aircraft on the ground. Approximately three minutes after takeoff, the pilot declared an emergency, though the nature of the emergency was not specified.
Witnesses provided varying accounts of the flight path. One witness observed the aircraft exit clouds at a high rate of descent before leveling off, while another reported seeing the plane fly past her residence at an exceptionally low altitude with engines at a very high throttle setting. An off-duty airport firefighter observed the aircraft flying at approximately 50 feet agl. He reported that the airplane appeared to stop in mid-air, the tail spun around, and the aircraft then dropped straight down. A post-accident fire consumed most of the aircraft and the storage building.
The investigation
Post-accident examinations of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies associated with a pre-impact failure. However, investigators found that both propeller assemblies had separated from their respective engine crankshafts. The fracture surfaces on these components exhibited 45-degree shear planes, which are consistent with torsional overload failures. While the fire consumed the left vacuum pump, the right vacuum pump showed thermal damage but remained intact upon disassembly.