United States of America

The pilot was being vectored around thunderstorms in the area just prior to the accident. During the last radio contact the pilot was issued a vector to the destination airport. During this turn, for unknown reasons, the pilot lost control of the aircraft and descended from the assigned altitude of 6,000 feet msl to the ground in approximately 40 seconds. The aircraft reportedly was in clear weather conditions at this time and had not encountered adverse weather during the entire flight. The pilot did not mention any problems during the radio transmission with ATC. Impact in a shallow lake occurred while in a near vertical nose down attitude at a high rate of speed. The right propeller was found to have been feathered at the time of impact while the left propeller was set in the cruise range. No evidence of any preimpact failure or malfunction of the right engine or propeller was discovered during post accident tests. Path and toxicological exams revealed no physiological factors. Pilots flight time records not available at time of investigation. Both occupants were killed.

About 6 minutes after takeoff, at 2138:31 cdt, the pilot reported level at 9,000 feet msl. At 2140:17, he transmitted that he had trouble and said he could not control or disconnect the autopilot (a/p) which was causing the aircraft to descend. At 2141:14, he stated he was descending at 6,000 feet/min. Another company pilot in another aircraft asked if he could find the breaker, meaning the a/p circuit breaker. At 2141:27, the pilot of N8CC replied, 'call you back.' Seconds later, radio and radar contact with N8CC were lost. A search was initiated, but the aircraft was not found until the following morning. An exam revealed the aircraft impacted in a steep, nose down, inverted attitude while at high speed; much of the wreckage was buried. No preimpact part failure/malfunction was found. With the a/p engaged, back pressure on the control column would have caused the a/p to trim nose down. Subsequently, the manufacturer issued a precautionary advisory to all MU-2 owner/operators regarding proper operation of the a/p and the various ways in which it can be disengaged. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

The aircraft contacted electrical wires and trees shortly after takeoff. The aircraft then descended to impact with the terrain. Examination of the wreckage revealed the elevator trim actuator rod was extended 2.5 inches which correlates with a full nose down setting. Further examination showed the buss wire for the actuator retract switch was disconnected at the retract switch post. Splattered copper was found on the retract switch indicating the buss wire had been subjected to high amperage. The limitations section of the pilot operating handbook for this aircraft does not state that takeoff is prohibited with inoperative pitch trim. Both occupants were killed.

During takeoff ground run, at a speed of 95 knots, the pilot pulled the control wheel back to lift off. The control wheel, according to the pilot, would not go back more than about 2 inches; which is less than half the normal full aft travel. The aircraft reached a speed of about 105 knots and had traveled more than half of the runway length when the pilot aborted the takeoff. The pilot was unable to stop the aircraft on the runway. The aircraft went off the runway and subsequently collided with an occupied car that was on a nearby street. The investigation revealed the left side VOR indicator had loosened from its mounting clamp on the instrument panel and it was laying against the control wheel tube, behind the instrument panel, limiting the control wheel to 2.5 inches of rearward travel. The pilot stated that he removed the control lock before engine start and performed a flight control check before takeoff. All four occupants were injured while on person in the car hit by the aircraft was killed.

This part 135 IFR flight was inbound for landing at Laramie, Wyoming. During the en route and approach for landing portions of the flight the aircraft picked up a moderate to heavy load of ice. During the landing flare the aircraft stalled, hit the runway, bounced, veered off the runway, and struck a VASI lighting system. The left landing gear collapsed and the aircraft skidded to a stop. All nine occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The twin engine aircraft crashed and burned 4 miles north of the airport while on an instrument approach. The pilot had transmitted that he had an engine problem. The #5 cylinder was found detached from the left engine but the left propeller was not feathered. An engine teardown revealed evidence to indicate the #5 cylinder attachments were not properly torqued. No preimpact failure could be found with the right engine. The right propeller was found in feathered position. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

The pilot reportedly did an unusual amount of engine run-up before pulling onto the runway. He then performed another run-up before departing. This is evidence that he was aware of a problem with his aircraft. The engine(s) were popping and puffing black smoke during the ground run. Yet, the takeoff was continued. The popping and smoke puffing continued after liftoff. A noticeable loss of airspeed occurred during the climbout. The aircraft started the third roll (into the bad engine) before finally going inverted. The aircraft's allowable gross weight was exceeded by at least 205 pounds at takeoff, however, the center of gravity remained within its specified limits. Internal examination of the right engine exhibited evidence that it had operated at sometime on a mixture of gasoline and jet fuel. All six occupants were killed.

While on an IFR flight plan in IMC, the pilot executed a missed approach after flying a localizer back course 27 approach. During a subsequent ILS runway 09L approach, radio and radar contact with the aircraft were lost. The aircraft wreckage was located on the inbound approach course 1/2 mile east of the Saige locator outer marker. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post impact fire. The autopsy and medical history of the pilot led to a conclusion that he was incapacitated at the time of impact. The pilots flight time was not reported and his logs were not located. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

The pilot stated he made a normal approach and landing but on rollout discovered he had no brakes. The aircraft traveled off the left side of the runway and collided with a fence surrounding a ballpark. Post crash examination of the hydraulic system revealed that the hydraulic reservoir was empty and the main accumulator and the thrust reverser accumulator had no air charge. All four occupants escaped uninjured.

At 1042 mdt, the flight reported moderate turbulences at FL240, but elected to remain at that altitude. At 1055, they were cleared to descend at pilot's discretion to maintain 12,000 feet. Approximately 8 minutes later, shortly after beginning a descent, the flight was instructed to change frequency; but 21 seconds later, they replied 'standby please,' then radio and radar contact were lost. Wreckage was found approximately 26 miles east of the destination airport in mountains. An examination revealed the empennage had separated in flight; pieces of it were found up to one mile away with indication of overload failure. There was evidence that: engines were not operating at ground impact, ignition switches were engaged; left engine start switch was in the 'air' start position and right switch was beyond the 'ground' start position; right propeller was feathered; pax oxygen masks were deployed, indicating cabin had depressurized above 15,000 feet. Weather info indicated cloud bases at 10,000 feet with IMC and turbulences to 25,000 feet, mixed icing from 20,000 feet to 25,000 feet, light rain/snow showers, widely scattered thunderstorms; approximately 15 miles south, 4 inches to 5 inches of hail fellat approximately that time. TPE331 engines had history of flameouts due to ice ingestion caused by impossible use of anti-ice/ignition. All six occupants were killed.