Flight Overview
Two pilots, a non-certificated foreign military pilot and a U.S. certificated airline transport pilot, planned to ferry an airplane to Australia with an intermediate stop in Hawaii. The airplane had been fitted with auxiliary fuel and engine oil tanks and was authorized a special airworthiness certificate for over gross weight operations during the ferry flight. Prior to the overweight departure, the first pilot had accumulated 50 hours, and the second pilot had accumulated 25 hours, in the accident airplane.
Accident Sequence
During takeoff, the airplane became airborne at 100 knots. It then pitched up and began a dutch roll. At about 50 feet above the ground, the airplane stalled and descended back to the runway. A fire erupted in the cabin area following the descent.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause was a premature lift off and inadvertent stall by the pilot-in-command. Contributing to the accident were insufficient available aircraft performance data after the ferry tank installation and both pilots' lack of total experience in the airplane.