What happened
Following recent maintenance to address engine vibrations and landing gear wiring issues, the aircraft departed for a flight involving a parachute jump. During the flight, the pilot deactivated the left engine to mitigate vibration, subsequently attempting to restart it while feathering the right engine. However, the crew was unable to unfeather the right engine.
While performing a straight-in approach with landing gear and flaps extended, the aircraft encountered a Cessna 150 taxiing on the active runway. In response, the pilot initiated a go-around maneuver. During this phase, attempts to electrically retract the landing gear and flaps were unsuccessful. As the passenger attempted to manually crank the gear up, the aircraft struck trees.
Findings
Investigation into the accident identified several contributing factors related to the pilot's actions and the aircraft's state. The pilot failed to communicate landing intentions via unicom during the approach and did not follow established procedures during the go-around. The loss of total engine power was determined to be non-mechanical.
Other findings included:
- Inadequate electrical power output due to a single inoperative generator
- Failure to maintain minimum controllable airspeed (VMC) during the maneuver
- The presence of an aircraft moving on the ground near the runway
- Improper in-flight planning and decision-making by the pilot in command