Takeoff (climb)

Engine failure during initial climb due to fuel exhaustion. Investigations revealed that during the flight preparation, the flight inspector was the victim either of a mistake or of a lack of attention when he checked the quantities in the fuel tanks, an operation carried out at night using a flashlight which was uneasy. The aircraft already flew for three hours prior to the accident and no fuel was added prior to the present flight.

The aircraft stalled during initial climb due to the combination of the following factors:
- The crew failed to prepare the flight according to published procedures,
- No mass and balance sheet was calculated prior to departure,
- Four passengers were not mentioned on the pax manifest,
- At the time of the accident, the total weight of the aircraft was 503 kilos above MTOW,
- The CofG was 5,2% above the rear permissible limit.

Failure of the pilot to maintain control of the airplane, due to spatial disorientation. A factor related to the accident was: the pilot's lack of recent instrument experience.

The accident was the consequence of a poor flight preparation and wrong takeoff configuration on part of the crew. The following contributing factors were reported:
- The takeoff was rushed and the crew failed to follow the pre-takeoff checklist,
- The elevators were selected in an inappropriate angle during takeoff,
- The total weight of the aircraft was above MTOW,
- The crew did not have sufficient rest time,
- Due to fatigue, the crew performances were reduced,
- A certain level/degree of alcohol was found in the captain's blood,
- Poor crew coordination,
- Misunderstanding by the crew,
- The pilot-in-command failed to initiate the rotation,
- The crew failed to abandon the takeoff procedure while it was obviously compromised.

It was determined that the crew failed to prepare the flight according to published procedures and failed to follow the pre-takeoff checklist. Following a wrong takeoff configuration, the crew started the rotation too late, retracted the flaps too early after rotation, causing the aircraft to lose lift and to stall. The distance separating the aircraft from the ground was insufficient for the crew to expect recovery. At the time of the accident, the total weight of the aircraft was above the MTOW, which was considered as a contributing factor.

Engine failure for unknown reasons.

The accident was the consequence of the following factors:
- The n°4 propeller went into Beta range shortly after rotation because the cable of the speed lever failed,
- The crew were unable to maintain control of the aircraft following this occurrence.

It was determined that the evening prior to the accident, the aircraft suffered an incident upon landing at Feijó Airport. Upon landing the copilot inadvertently mishandled the engines. Reverse pitch was not applied. Directional control was lost and the left main landing gear ran off the side of the runway. The airplane came to rest 40 metres past the runway end. It was towed to the ramp and the captain conducted an inspection of the airplane. As nothing wrong was noticed, the crew decided to continue the flight after the company base was notified of the occurrence. At the time of the accident, the crew was anxious about the event that occurred the preceding evening and the captain's attention was distracted. Thus, there was a higher level of stress in the cockpit at the time of the accident and the copilot did not want to be the PIC for the second leg due to anxiousness. As the right engine was totally destroyed by a post crash fire, it was not possible to determine the exact cause of its malfunction. Poor weather conditions, poor flight planning and insufficient control inputs on the rudder were considered as contributing factors.