Night Positioning Flight Ends in Off-Airport Crash (N2067C)

Flight and Crash Sequence The aircraft departed normally for a positioning flight under night visual meteorological conditions. Witnesses confirmed the landing gear retracted after takeoff. A nearby resident reported hearing a loud engine noise and seeing the airplane just above the tree line before it pitched down, struck the ground, and exploded. The impact occurred in a soybean field approximately 0.5 miles from the departure end of the runway. ## Debris Field and Ground Scars Investigators found two pairs of ground scars at the beginning of the debris path. The initial pair, measuring 2 to 3 feet in length, was located about 380 feet south of the main wreckage. A second pair of scars, 10 to 12 feet long, was found about 10 feet forward of the initial scars and contained portions of the left and right engines, respectively. No impact damage was observed in the field between the second ground scar and the main wreckage. ## Maintenance and Aircraft Examination Prior to the flight, maintenance personnel replaced a frayed elevator trim cable, with the work supervised and checked by the accident pilot. Post-crash examination did not reveal evidence of a pre-impact failure, though a significant portion of the aircraft was consumed in the post-crash fire. Propeller damage was consistent with engine operation at the time of impact. The pilot reported 22,500 hours of total flight experience, with over 17,000 hours in the make and model.