What happened
Following a scheduled maintenance inspection, an aircraft was performing its first flight since the service was completed. During the initial climb phase, the pilot noticed the aircraft was drifting toward the left side of the runway. Efforts to correct this movement using right rudder and right aileron inputs were unsuccessful, and the pilot was unable to maintain directional control despite full manual input on the control yoke. The aircraft subsequently struck a building before coming to a stop on railroad tracks located near the airport boundary.
Findings
An investigation into the wreckage and control systems identified several critical misconfigurations. The elevator trim wheel was set to a 9-degree nose up position, which significantly exceeded the standard takeoff range of 2 to 3 degrees. Additionally, the rudder trim control knob was found in the full left position, and the right propeller lever was positioned approximately one-half inch forward of the feather position. Both of these specific settings contributed to the aircraft's leftward yaw. The investigation concluded that the pilot failed to properly utilize the manufacturer's checklists during the preflight, taxi, and pre-takeoff procedures. This failure to follow checklists resulted in an incorrect takeoff configuration that led to the loss of control immediately after rotation. No mechanical failures or anomalies were found in the engines, propellers, or airframe that would have prevented normal flight.