Here is a hypothetical.
KADS crash: diverging left very shortly after liftoff.
YMEN crash: very similar.
KADS crash: report states the pilot likely pressed the wrong rudder pedal initially (left one) exacerbating the roll/yaw.
YMEN crash: report states the rudder trim was found to be deflected full left (but couldn’t determine when that was done).
Could the incorrect left rudder application like at KADS and the left rudder trim at YMEN be “similar”?
Stick with me here.
A reduction (by a certain amount) of power on the left engine, for whatever reason be it failure or migration of the power lever, will result in the rudder boost activation. The pilot will feel this in the pedals- application of right rudder to counter the yaw: left pedal moves aft and right pedal moves forward.
There might be the possibility that in the KADS crash the pilot applied left pedal because they felt the pedals move in such a way and it was an attempt to get them back to central and feel “normal”- the report does say that the input was apparently corrected.
Could it have been possible that in the YMEN crash that there was a reduction in left power for some reason, activation of the rudder boost, the pilot felt similar movement in the pedal and incorrectly wound in left rudder instead?
I fully understand that this is hypothetical. And we will never know the full reason as to “why” in the YMEN crash. I also accept that the rudder trim could have been full left right from the beginning, but we don’t have the conclusive proof.
But without that conclusive proof I think we need to consider these sorts possibilities and have these discussions to try and avoid these sorts of things in the future. I’ve lost count of how many King Airs have speared in to the left shortly after liftoff....
One of the biggest take-aways from both of these accidents is the importance of the proper use of checklists though.