Incident Description
Just after liftoff, while in the initial climb phase, the left wing of the aircraft detached. The airplane, now out of control, descended and crashed. The impact and subsequent post-crash fire destroyed the aircraft. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, was killed.
Investigation Findings
The official investigation determined that the accident resulted from a structural failure and detachment of the left wing during initial climb and uncontrolled descent. This failure was attributed to the presence of fatigue cracks. The investigation also identified contributing factors: inadequate inspection of the aircraft by maintenance personnel, the wing spars, fatigue fracture, the left wing's failure and upward folding, and the presence of a fatigue crack that had existed during a prior inspection but was not detected.