What happened
The flight was interrupted by several diversions because the aircraft encountered airframe icing conditions. Once the pilot recognized that a low fuel state existed, he requested vectors to the nearest available airport. Despite these efforts, the aircraft experienced fuel exhaustion approximately one mile short of the runway threshold.
During the subsequent landing roll, the aircraft struck a stop sign. The impact with the rough terrain caused the nose gear to collapse.
The investigation
The examination focused on the sequence of events leading to the forced landing. The pilot's decision to divert was driven by weather-related icing and the resulting fuel consumption. The mechanical outcome was limited to the nose gear failure following the ground contact.
Findings
Contributing factors included the initial airframe icing which necessitated diversions, and the subsequent depletion of fuel reserves. The final impact with a stop sign and uneven terrain resulted in structural damage to the landing gear.