Accident
On June 25, 2014, about 0750 central daylight time, a Raytheon Aircraft Company C90A, registration N800MK, was substantially damaged following a runway excursion during an attempted go-around at Houston, Mississippi (M44). The airplane was operated by BECS, LLC under 14 CFR Part 91 on an instrument flight rules flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at Memphis, Tennessee (MEM) as a corporate flight.
Injuries and Damage
The commercial-rated pilot, co-pilot, and two passengers were not injured; one passenger received minor injuries. The airplane struck a ditch, spun around, and came to rest upright in the grass. A post-crash fire occurred in the left engine area. The pilot and passengers exited via the main entry door.
Pilot Reports
The pilot, seated in the left cockpit seat, was performing a visual approach to runway 21. Just prior to touchdown, at 90 knots with approach flaps extended, the right wing "rose severely and tried to put the airplane into a severe left bank." The co-pilot called "wind shear" and "go around." As the pilot applied power, the airplane rolled left again. He retarded the throttles and allowed the airplane to settle into the grass on the left side of runway 21. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies prior to the accident.
The co-pilot reported that during the turn onto final, the wind "picked up" a little by the wind sock. The final approach was stable, but as the pilot began to flare, the vertical speed indicator "pegged out." The airplane encountered an unexpected wind shear just above the runway. The co-pilot called for a go-around. He described a "jarring" effect and stated that the wind seemed to try to lift the tail and cartwheel the airplane. He felt the pilot did a good job preventing the airplane from flipping over and that, based on his extensive experience and instruction on the King Air, the pilot could not have done anything different to avoid the accident.
Probable Cause
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause(s) of this accident to be: The pilot’s failure to maintain a stabilized approach and his subsequent failure to maintain airplane control during the landing flare, which resulted in touchdown off the side of the runway and collision with a ditch.