Incident Overview
An aircraft encountered icing conditions during descent, resulting in a light accumulation of ice. When the landing gear was lowered, the aircraft began to yaw, and the engine instruments fluctuated. The pilot perceived that the engines were surging.
Landing and Damage
The aircraft landed approximately 700 feet short of the runway in an area covered with sagebrush. The impact collapsed the landing gear.
Investigation Findings
Post-incident examination did not reveal a reason for the engine performance anomaly. Additionally, it was noted that the cowl flaps were in a mismatched configuration: the right engine's cowl flaps were closed, while the left engine's cowl flaps were open.