Shortly after departure, the left engine of a Piper PA-31P airplane lost power. The airport tower air traffic controller reported to the commercial-rated pilot that smoke was coming from the airplane’s left side and cleared the airplane to land on the nearest runway. The pilot initiated a left turn and the airplane’s bank angle increased as it approached the runway; the airplane eventually impacted terrain in a nose-down, near-vertical attitude. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The pilot’s improper response to the OEI, including allowing airspeed to decrease and turning into the inoperative engine, led to a loss of aircraft control. (CEN18FA116)
The multiengine-rated private pilot of a Smith Aerostar 601 airplane declared an emergency shortly after takeoff. The tower controller cleared the pilot to land on any runway before clearing him to land on runway 9R. Ground witnesses reported that the airplane was in a left bank at 400 to 800 ft agl when the left bank increased, and the nose suddenly dropped. A pilot witness described the maneuver as a stall/spin, Vmc roll, and/or snap roll. The pilot was fatally injured when the airplane collided with terrain. The pilot’s multiengine rating highlights the fact that a multiengine rating alone doesn’t guarantee avoiding loss of aircraft control during OEI. (CEN18FA050)
The single engine-rated private pilot of a Beech BE58 airplane requested to return to the airport shortly after departure because the engines were “not running right.” The pilot was cleared to land, but the airplane impacted terrain about 500 ft from the runway’s threshold; the pilot and four passengers were fatally injured. The distribution of the wreckage suggested a steep descent and impact attitude with little horizontal motion, consistent with a loss of control. Examination of the left engine found a catastrophic failure of the engine. The single engine-rated pilot didn’t possess a multiengine rating and likely lacked any formal training in how to recover from OEI. (ERA18FA046)
The airline transport pilot and passenger of a Piper PA-31T were fatally injured when the airplane impacted terrain shortly after takeoff. The tower controller reported that the airplane appeared to be in a shallower-than-normal climb before it banked left and descended into terrain. Postaccident examination of the engines found that the right engine was not producing power at the time of impact. The pilot had about 18,000 total hours of flight time at the time of the accident but was relatively new to this particular airplane, highlighting the importance of training and proficiency specific to the aircraft being flown. (CEN17FA266)
Witnesses reported observing a portion of the multiengine-rated pilot’s takeoff roll in a Cessna 421C, which they described as slower than normal; the airplane was subsequently blocked from their view. Examination of the runway environment found evidence suggesting that, during the takeoff roll, the left engine was producing partial power. About 1/2 mile from the airport, the airplane impacted trees in a left-wing, nose-low attitude, consistent with the airplane being operated below the minimum controllable airspeed. Maintenance personnel reported that, in the weeks before the accident, the airplane's left engine had been experiencing a problem that prevented it from initially producing 100 percent power. Despite attempts to correct this discrepancy, it wasn’t corrected before the accident flight. The pilot’s improper decision to continue takeoff with degraded engine performance and improper response to the OEI allowed the airspeed to decrease, which led to a loss of aircraft control. (CEN13FA509)
