What happened
During a flight intended to conduct a functional test of a recently upgraded autopilot system, an aircraft climbed to 2,750 feet while traveling east. Following takeoff, the pilot was cleared by air traffic control to operate under visual flight rules. While communications between the pilot and ground and tower controllers remained normal during taxi and the initial climb, all radio and radar contact was lost approximately six minutes after departure. No distress signals were transmitted by the pilot prior to the loss of communication.
The aircraft subsequently struck wooded terrain roughly 0.75 miles east of its final recorded radar position. The impact occurred in a near-vertical, nose-down attitude. The force of the crash caused the engines and propellers to separate from the airframe, and a significant post-impact fire destroyed the fuselage, wings, and empennage. There were no survivors.
Findings
Post-crash inspections of the engines and propellers indicated they were functioning normally and showed no signs of mechanical failure prior to the accident. The flight controls remained continuous, and the elevator trim cables were found to be undamaged. Notably, the trim tab was positioned at full down travel, suggesting the aircraft was trimmed for a full nose-up attitude at the time of impact. While the investigation examined the mechanical integrity of the propulsion and control systems, the intense fire prevented a physical examination of the autopilot system. Ultimately, investigators could not identify the specific reason for the loss of control.