Beech King Air 200, Bay View, Texas, Dec. 10, 2004–King Air N648KA was destroyed by fire when it hit trees after a loss of control taking off from Rancho Buena Vista Airport, near Bay View. The ATP pilot and five passengers were not injured. The airplane was operated by Charter 1, of Houston. VMC prevailed and an IFR flight plan was filed for the Part 135 on-demand air charter flight en route to Houston.
The pilot said that during the takeoff roll, the airplane lifted off the runway “at rotation speed as the left engine failed.” The airplane veered to the left while approximately four to five feet above the ground. As the King Air headed toward trees, the pilot tried to keep the airplane flying and heard the stall warning horn shortly before the twin turboprop settled back onto the ground and ran into the trees. The airplane came to rest in an upright position, and the pilot and passengers were able to leave as it burst into flames.