What happened
Approximately one and a half minutes after departing from Springfield, IL, the flight crew reported experiencing a slight electrical problem but elected to continue on course. About thirty-three minutes later, just before the aircraft was scheduled to arrive at its destination, the plane crashed while descending in a right wing-low attitude. Prior to impact, the aircraft's heading had shifted by approximately 180 degrees.
A Cockpit Voice Recorder transcript revealed that the left generator had failed after takeoff. The first officer mistakenly isolated the right generator, and subsequent attempts to restore its function were unsuccessful. Despite the issue, the captain decided to proceed to the destination rather than return to the nearby departure airport. Just before the crash, the crew indicated a total loss of electrical power.
The investigation
Examination of the aircraft determined that the left generator drive shaft had sheared. Investigators could not determine why the right generator failed to reset. Weather conditions at the time included cloud bases at 2,000 feet mean sea level, and air traffic control was unable to provide an instrument flight rules clearance below 3,000 feet.
Findings
The investigation found that recurrent flight crew training did not adequately prepare the crew to understand and cope with the electrical problem. Furthermore, Federal Aviation Administration surveillance failed to detect this training deficiency.