cowl flaps
Could the back and forth 'wave action' in the bladder tank have caused him the 'chase' the trim until he lost control ?
I agree, and think your words described it well. Once the wave action started the instability would be amplified with each successive airframe oscillation until it became uncontrollable.
nkand
One thing I thought of recently - the lack of post crash fire given the considerable fuel level onboard. Not knowing the mooney fuel system intimately, I can only assume the pilot managed to turn off the fuel shutoff valve prior to impact ( and had a while it seems to contemplate what was happening given the aft trim, retarded throttles - recovery from a spin)
I too was surprised by the absence of a post crash fire, particularly when the NTSB report noted the fuel selector as ON, but to the LEFT tank instead of the RIGHT tank as stipulated. The FAA also determined there was fuel available when they tore down the engine, but it would be impossible to determine whether there was a consistent flow.
On the issue of the nose-up trim condition, I would guess the FAA as a long shot would have checked the C/W trim switch and circuitry for transposed operation, which might have explained the nose up trim.
This strikes me as a classic case of the holes in the cheese all coming into line, with a tragic outcome. I would add to the NTSB determination as contributing factors (1) a lack of familiarity with the Mooney airframe and (2) an element of complacency (by operating so far overweight with an unsecured load).
I have some indirect experience in ferry flight planning, and have seen first hand cavalier attitudes and a preparedness to disregard pesky little things such as loading, SFP's, W+B, FAA and CASA regulations etc etc.