What happened
During the second of two aborted VFR approaches, the pilot of an air taxi aircraft lost control of the plane, resulting in a crash. While the pilot reported that VFR conditions were present, passengers and ground witnesses stated that visibility was less than one mile.
Passengers noted that ice was accumulating on the wings and windshield both before and during the approach attempts. Due to the ice accumulation, the pilot was unable to see directly forward and had to rely on looking through the side windows. During the second approach, a passenger alerted the pilot to the runway's location by tapping her shoulder and pointing to the right. In response, the pilot executed a very steep right turn toward the runway. During this maneuver, the aircraft experienced violent shuddering, stalled, and fell to the ground.
The investigation
The pilot reported that the engine was only delivering partial power during the second aborted approach. However, both passengers and witnesses on the ground observed that the engine sounded as though it was producing full power. Following the accident, a post-accident disassembly of the engine was conducted, which revealed no mechanical problems that could be considered causal to a loss of power.