Mitsubishi MU-2B-36, West Memphis, Ark., Sept. 22, 2005 – The NTSB blamed the fatal accident on the pilot’s improper in-flight decision not to land at the departure runway or other available airports during the emergency descent, and his failure to maintain clearance from a vehicle and terrain. The MU-2 hit an earth-moving scraper and was destroyed. Contributing factors were a false engine fire warning light, inadequate maintenance by company personnel, a contaminated fire warning detection loop and night conditions.
After the initial departure, the pilot returned to West Memphis with a right engine fire warning light. Maintenance personnel found no problem with the airplane, which took off again. Twenty-three minutes later, the pilot reported that he needed to return to “have something checked out.” Passing four airports, he returned to West Memphis, overflying the airport and crashing into the scraper in a field 2.8 nm north of the departure end of Runway 35.
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