Accident Sequence
The aircraft departed Salisbury Airport on a charter flight to Livingstone to pick up United Nations troops (34 Swedish blue helmets) and transport them back to Elizabethville. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft suddenly dipped its right wing. After a slow recovery, it climbed to between 100 and 150 feet, then entered a left turn with the port propeller windmilling. The turn steepened until the aircraft rolled over and dived inverted to the ground less than 600 yards southeast of the threshold of runway 06. A fire broke out but was quickly extinguished.
Injuries and Occupants
The pilot and co-pilot were killed in the accident. The stewardess was seriously injured. No passengers were on board. The accident occurred at 0902 hours GMT.
Probable Cause
According to the official investigation, the accident was caused by the pilot's failure to execute a successful single-engine forced landing after concluding that there had been a power loss in the port engine. Evidence indicated that a failure of the port engine did not, in fact, occur. The pre-takeoff rudder trimmer check was not carried out correctly as laid down in the checklist, and the aircraft took off with full left rudder trim applied. Once airborne, this condition was misinterpreted as port engine failure, and the port propeller was feathered. No apparent action was taken by the pilot to correct the ensuing critical speed yaw.