[SkyKing]

From the read on this and other info, it sounds like they were doing a normal takeoff, leveled off briefly, and then pitched the airplane up for max climb... but ended up in an accelerated stall and no room for recover. Just my supposition, but one wonders if they were grandstanding the airplane for on-lookers, or maybe the pilot trying to impress the passenger. It wouldn't be the first time. The sequence just doesn't sound like a seat-track problem as some have thought.

SkyKing


NTSB Identification: MIA05FA050
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, January 14, 2005 in Lakeland, FL
Aircraft: Cessna T337G, registration: N42WA
Injuries: 2 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On January 14, 2005, about 1537 eastern standard time, a Cessna T337G, N42WA, registered to Aerolease of America, Inc., leased to a private individual, crashed shortly after takeoff onto runway 27 at the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, Lakeland, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight from the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, Lakeland, Florida, to Tallahassee Regional Airport, Tallahassee, Florida. The airplane was destroyed by a postcrash fire and the airline transport-rated pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.

According to the local controller of the Lakeland Linder Regional Air Traffic Control Tower, the flight was cleared to takeoff from runway 27 and to climb runway heading. He did not observe the point of rotation, but reported the airplane was in a normal climb attitude when the flight was airborne approximately 1,000 feet down the runway. The flight continued and when it was approximately 500 feet more down the length of the runway, he observed the airplane pitch up to between an estimated 30-45 degrees, then leveled off at an estimated altitude of between 150-200 feet above ground level. At that time the flight was abeam runway 27 and taxiway "B." Approximately 5 seconds later, the wings were noted to rock up and down and the airplane drifted north of the north edge of the runway. The airplane rolled nose and left wing low, then appeared to level off before impacting the ground while in a slight nose up and left wing low attitude; the airplane caught fire 20 seconds later. He did not hear any unusual engine sounds during the flight and could not determine if the engines were run-up before departure. Both engines' rpm sounded to be synchronized during the short duration flight. There was no distress call made by the pilot of the airplane.

Another witness reported seeing the airplane in a steep nose-up attitude after becoming airborne. The witness reported the airplane then rolled left and impacted the ground while in a slight nose-up and left wing low attitude. An individual who owns a Cessna 337 airplane and only heard the accident flight reported hearing both engines operating at what he thought was full power.