NTSB: Lack of Experience a Factor in MU-2 Fatal

The NTSB final report on the May 2005 crash of a Mitsubishi MU-2B-25 in Hillsboro, Ore., found several causes, notably mishandling a power loss due to a lack of recent flight experience and recurrent training by the pilot. While flight logs provided by the family showed more than 500 hours operating an MU-2, the pilot’s last flight before the accident flight was 14 years earlier. Airmen who flew with the pilot in the type aircraft involved in the accident described the pilot as “proficiency lacking.” On-site examination of the airframe found an oil tube failure caused a partial power loss in the left engine shortly after takeoff. Witnesses saw the twin turboprop entering a steep left-hand turn before crashing. An examination of the control settings found they were not correctly set to flight manual conditions consistent with an engine failure on takeoff. Four people were killed in the crash.