What happened
During a night departure from Salisbury Airport, the aircraft experienced a sudden loss of power in one of its engines. This mechanical failure caused the pilot to lose control of the plane, which subsequently crashed near the runway. The impact resulted in one fatality and left four other occupants injured. The wreckage of the aircraft was completely destroyed during the accident.
Findings
Investigations into the crash identified an engine malfunction as the primary event, though the specific reason for the failure remained undetermined. Several contributing factors were noted regarding the operation of the flight:
- The crew did not adhere to approved operational procedures.
- There was a failure to achieve and sustain the necessary takeoff speed.
- Preflight preparations were found to be inadequate.
- The aircraft had been loaded improperly.
- The fuel boost pumps were not activated for the takeoff sequence.
- The aircraft was approximately 400 lbs above its maximum gross weight.