What happened
Shortly after departing from runway 2D, the crew retracted the landing gear and encountered light rainfall. As the aircraft type reached an altitude between 200 and 250 feet, the pilot reduced power to 35 inches of manifold pressure to initiate a shallow right-hand turn. During this maneuver, prior to reducing engine RPM, the aircraft began to lose lift and the airspeed dropped sharply from over 105 knots to 80 knots.
In an attempt to recover, the crew leveled the nose, ceased the turn, and applied full power. While this temporarily restored the airspeed to approximately 100 knots and stabilized the descent, the speed again plummeted abruptly to 60 knots. As the aircraft continued to descend toward the terrain, the first officer attempted to pull the nose up. The aircraft struck the ground, leading the crew to close both throttles. The impact resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and two injuries to the crew. The wreckage was located in a wooded area roughly 600 feet northwest of the runway threshold.
Findings
Investigations revealed that a significant thunderstorm was positioned approximately 8 to 10 miles south of the airfield at the time of departure. A localized rain shower, which included strong wind gusts, was moving toward the southeast end of the runway. The aircraft entered this shower during its initial climb, which triggered the rapid loss of airspeed and the subsequent inability to maintain flight altitude.