Accident
During takeoff, while the landing gear was retracting, the aircraft yawed to the right and impacted the ground. The right wing fuel tank ruptured, and the aircraft caught fire as it slid to a stop. All occupants evacuated the aircraft. After the fire was extinguished, an investigator noted that both thrust reverser circuit breakers were in the open position and partially covered by a flight chart. Both thrust reversers were found deployed.
Preceding Events
The day before the accident, the aircraft was washed and the thrust reverser doors were polished. During this servicing, the thrust reverser door circuit breakers were pulled and, per company policy, were not reset afterward. Prior to the accident flight, the aircraft was loaded and the engines started. At that time, the reversed unlock lights on both reverser annunciator panels illuminated. The pilot discussed this with the copilot and elected to proceed. He pushed the light assemblies, which unlatched the light housings and extinguished the unlock lights.
Investigation Findings
The official investigation determined that the thrust reverser doors were unlocked and inadvertently deployed during takeoff. Contributing factors included inadequate maintenance by company personnel, an inadequate preflight inspection by the pilot-in-command, and the pilot's decision to operate with known deficiencies. The circuit breakers had been left open, the annunciator panel lights were switched off, and the pilot did not follow the checklist.