Okeechobee

The pilot stated that during the landing gear retraction he heard a loud bang, followed by three to four smaller bangs. The first officer confirmed that the left engine was the affected engine and immediately began feathering the propeller. Once the propeller had been feathered, the captain confirmed the action by looking outside and noticing the propeller in the feathered position. The captain further reported that the right engine was producing the maximum power available and was indicating 55 inches of manifold pressure. Unable to achieve airspeed of greater than 95 to 96 knots indicated, the captain attempted to return to the airport for an emergency landing; however, he was unable to maintain altitude and attempted to land on an airport perimeter road, impacting the airport fence and a sand berm in the process. A cursory examination of the engine and system components revealed no evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction.

The pilot (or pilot-rated passenger) reported an 'indication' problem and said they intended to land at Okeechobee, but couldn't find the airport. They then reported engine trouble and said that they would try to land on a road. They circled the area and approached a dirt road with landing lights on. A car was proceeding on the road in the opposite direction. The plane began to climb, and it entered a left turn. It then rolled into a steep right bank, descended nose down, crashed and was consumed by fire. An exam revealed indications that both engines were operating at high rpm. A teardown revealed a right engine fuel control bearing had failed, which would have allowed improper movement of the fuel control drive shaft. The plane was last inspected on 11/25/92 and was 13 hours over a required 150 hour inspection. A service bulletin for maintenance of the fuel control bearings had not been complied with. The owner/pilot had not completed formal ground school instruction on the airplane systems and operation. The plane had 9 seats; 10 occupants were aboard.

The crew attempted to land by night on a cow pasture with portable lights at each end near Okeechobee. The airplane struck trees and crashed. Both occupants were no recovered and injuries presumed. It is believed this was an illegal contraband flight from Central or South America.

En route from Fort Lauderdale to Raleigh, North Carolina, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with thunderstorm activity. Control was lost and the airplane entered a dive during which both wings separated as well as the stabs and tail. The airplane crashed near Okeechobee and disintegrated on impact. All eight occupants were killed.