July 23, Bethany, Okla. / Smith Aerostar 601P

At 11:13 CDT, a Smith Aerostar 601P crashed when it lost power on initial climb out of the Wiley Post Airport. The pilot and the pilot-rated passenger were killed. Another pilot who witnessed the crash from the runway said, the airplanes left engine was producing black smoke during the takeoff roll and the airplane started to drift to the left after takeoff. The accident pilot told the controller he had a problem, but did not elaborate. The airplane then pitched up and began a Vmc rollover to the left.