Accident Details
At approximately 0329 local time, an aircraft crashed during takeoff from Wold-Chamberlain Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The aircraft had 62 persons aboard, including two infants. A number of occupants sustained serious injuries, but there were no fatalities. All occupants were evacuated, and a short time later, a fire broke out and consumed the aircraft.
Sequence of Events
The aircraft took off normally and climbed to a height of about 100 feet. It then gradually nosed over and entered a descent, which continued until it struck the ground. The takeoff was made on runway 22, and the climbout proceeded from a lighted, built-up section toward an open, unlighted area.
Weather and Conditions
Sky conditions were clear. However, prevailing visibility was about three miles in fog, and in localized areas around the airport, visibility was reduced to less than a mile by patches of denser fog. The darkness and reduced visibility during climbout contributed to a sensory illusion that completely obscured the fact of descent from the pilot.
Pilot Actions
The Board believes that while trying to maintain visual contact in reduced visibility, the pilot allowed the nose of the aircraft to drop when flaps were retracted because of inattention to flight instruments.
Probable Cause
The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the pilot's inattention to flight instruments during takeoff in conditions of reduced visibility.