What happened
A positioning flight conducted under night visual meteorological conditions ended in an accident when the aircraft impacted a soybean field approximately 0.5 miles from the runway's departure end. The flight initially appeared normal, with the landing gear retracting as expected following takeoff. However, a local witness reported hearing loud engine noises and seeing the plane flying just above the tree line before it pitched downward, struck the ground, and caught fire.
The wreckage pattern included two distinct sets of ground scars. The first set, measuring roughly 2 to 3 feet, was located 380 feet south of the primary debris. A second set of scars, ranging from 10 to 12 feet in length, was situated 10 feet ahead of the first; these contained fragments of the left and right engines. Notably, there was no impact damage found in the area between the second scar and the main wreckage site.
Findings
Investigation into the aircraft's condition showed that maintenance staff had recently replaced a frayed elevator trim cable, a task overseen by the pilot. While the propellers showed damage indicating the engines were operational at the moment of impact, no evidence of a mechanical failure prior to the crash was identified. However, much of the airframe was destroyed by a post-impact fire. The investigation concluded that an undetermined event led to the off-airport landing, with night lighting conditions noted as a contributing factor.