Accident Sequence
The flight crew conducted a personal flight with two passengers. Before departure, the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) captured verbalization of items from the before takeoff checklist, but no challenge-response for taxi, before takeoff, or takeoff checklists occurred. Neither pilot mentioned releasing the parking brake, and no crew briefing was performed.
The pilot-in-command (PIC), occupying the left seat and serving as pilot flying (PF), initiated takeoff on a slightly upsloping 3,665-foot-long asphalt runway. Takeoff performance data indicated adequate capability for the runway. Flight data recorder (FDR) data showed each thrust lever angle set and remained at 65°, with engines at 91% N1.
During the takeoff roll, the copilot (pilot monitoring, PM) made callouts for "airspeed's alive," "eighty knots cross check," "v one," and "rotate." Compared with previous takeoffs, the aircraft did not become airborne at the usual location, and longitudinal acceleration was about 33% less.
At the rotate callout, airspeed was approximately 104 knots calibrated airspeed, and the elevator was at about +9° airplane nose up (ANU). Three seconds later, the CVR recorded physical straining sounds, suggesting the pilot attempted rotation by pulling the control yoke. Both pilots expressed surprise at the lack of rotation.
Between the rotate callout and the end of airport terrain, airspeed increased to about 120 knots, the weight-on-wheels (WOW) remained on-ground, and elevator position increased to a maximum of about +16° ANU, but pitch attitude changed minimally. After clearing the airport terrain (ground elevation dropped 20–25 feet), WOW transitioned to air mode with near-full ANU elevator input, and the airplane pitched up nearly 22° in less than 2 seconds.
The FDR recorded forward elevator control input in response to the rapid pitch-up, and the CVR captured a stall warning followed by stick shaker activation. A witness reported seeing the front portion of the right engine impact a nearby pole past the departure end. The airplane then rolled right to an inverted attitude, impacted the ground, and subsequently struck an off-airport occupied building.
The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a post-crash fire. All four occupants were killed. Four people on the ground were injured, one seriously.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause was the pilot-in-command's failure to release the parking brake before attempting to initiate the takeoff, which produced an unexpected retarding force and airplane-nose-down pitching moment that prevented the airplane from becoming airborne within the takeoff distance available and not before the end of the airport terrain. Contributing to the accident were the airplane's lack of a warning that the parking brake was not fully released and the Federal Aviation Administration's process for certification of a derivative aircraft that did not identify the need for such an indication.