What happened
The incident occurred while the aircraft was engaged in an aerial application mission. During one of the turns required for this operation, the pilot encountered a severe downdraft that significantly impacted the aircraft's ability to maintain altitude.
In response to the sudden loss of lift, the pilot took immediate corrective actions. The pilot lowered the nose of the aircraft to gain airspeed, leveled the wings to stabilize the attitude, and applied full power in an attempt to climb out of the downdraft. Additionally, the pilot dumped the chemical load to reduce weight.
Despite these efforts, the aircraft was unable to overcome the downward force of the weather phenomenon. The aircraft subsequently struck the ground in a hard, flat attitude. Upon impact, the aircraft was totally consumed by a post-impact fire, resulting in total destruction of the airframe.