Incident Overview
Aircraft engaged in a voluntary relief flight for victims of Hurricane Andrew crashed into a residence half a mile from the departure end of the runway. All seats had been removed from the cabin, and no weight scales were used to load cargo. The private pilot did not hold a multi-engine rating.
Sequence of Events
Witnesses reported that the aircraft used most of the available runway before liftoff. After becoming airborne, the aircraft appeared to climb in an unstable condition before the crash. Investigation revealed the aircraft was 1,112.2 pounds over its maximum gross takeoff weight at departure.
Occupants
All three occupants were killed in the accident.
Probable Cause
The official finding stated that the probable cause was the pilot's failure to perform preflight planning, resulting in the aircraft's weight and balance being exceeded. Contributing factors included the pilot's lack of experience in the type of aircraft and lack of multi-engine certification.