What happened
During an instrument flight rules (IFR) cross-country flight, a twin turbo-prop aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent shortly after takeoff. The flight was scheduled for a 169-nautical mile journey, and the pilot had been cleared to climb to an assigned altitude of 7,000 feet. After departing, the aircraft was cleared for a left turn and instructed to transition from tower control to air route traffic control center.
While the pilot failed to acknowledge the initial frequency change, contact was established with the center frequency, where the pilot reported climbing through 4,900 feet. However, radar monitoring showed the aircraft climbing through 5,500 feet before beginning a sudden descent. The aircraft subsequently struck terrain approximately 1.7 miles northwest of the departure airport. The impact was characterized by a nose-low attitude with a slight right bank, and a post-crash fire destroyed the wreckage. There were no survivors.
At the time of the accident, the weather consisted of 700-foot ceilings and 3 miles of visibility in mist, with winds at 15 knots.
Findings
Investigation of the wreckage revealed no mechanical discrepancies or anomalies that would have hindered the normal operation of the aircraft. The accident occurred while the aircraft was operating in instrument meteorological conditions during the initial climb phase.