What happened
On the day of the accident, an aircraft was conducting an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight at an altitude of 7,000 feet. At 11:58:29, the pilot reported that 6206P was spinning. Shortly after this transmission, the aircraft crashed into wooded terrain near the top of a mountain ridge.
A witness observing the aircraft prior to the crash noted unusual cloud formations in the area along with strong, gusty winds. The witness described seeing the aircraft disappear behind a wall of clouds and then reappear. According to the witness, the aircraft entered a spin and then ascended almost as rapidly as it had descended before impacting the ground.
The investigation
An examination of the wreckage determined that the horizontal stabilizers had separated from the aircraft during flight. These components were located away from the primary wreckage site and showed evidence of failing in a downward direction due to overload. Investigators found no other evidence of preimpact part failure. Additionally, weather radar data indicated that the crash occurred within an area of a Level 2 echo.