What happened
During the takeoff phase, the aircraft experienced significant yawing motions to both the left and right immediately after lifting off from the runway. Following this instability, the aircraft veered toward the left, eventually making contact with the ground in a left-wing-low attitude. The impact occurred in the area situated between the active runway and a parallel taxiway.
There were three fatalities recorded during the accident, involving both pilots and one passenger seated in the jumpseat. An examination of the aircraft's configuration at the time of the crash showed that the landing gear had been retracted and the flaps were positioned for takeoff.
Findings
An investigation into the mechanical state of the aircraft identified that the left engine had experienced a partial loss of power. This reduction in thrust was attributed to a malfunctioning fuel pump.
While the loss of power was insufficient to trigger the aircraft's automatic autofeathering system, the crew attempted to manually feather the left propeller. To successfully complete this manual operation, the feathering pump button must be held for approximately five seconds. However, the investigation determined that the propeller had not reached the full feather position prior to the aircraft striking the ground.