Incident Details
A twin-engine airplane was operating a charter flight that originated from East Midlands in the morning and continued to Lossiemouth in the afternoon via Dounreay. The aircraft carried seven passengers and a crew of two. During the takeoff roll, the airplane twice deviated to the right, but the crew managed to correct the deviations. As the aircraft accelerated to a speed just below the minimum rotate speed of 101 mph, it yawed to the right. Simultaneously, the right engine experienced power fluctuations, and a loud bang was heard from the right side of the aircraft.
Sequence of Events
The commander decided to abort the takeoff, but the remaining runway distance was insufficient to bring the aircraft to a stop. The airplane veered off the runway, struck a fence, and lost its undercarriage before coming to rest. There was no fire. All nine occupants escaped without injury.
Investigation Findings
Post-accident examination and testing of the fuel boost system revealed multiple failures that caused the fuel boost inoperative warning light to illuminate. Specifically, the investigation found a failure of the fuel boost pump, a failure of the fuel boost pressure warning switch, a failure of the fuel boost inoperative warning light electrical circuit, and a lack of fuel at the input to the fuel boost pump. These findings were identified as the causes for the warning light indication.