Accident Sequence
According to the captain seated in the right seat, while on short final approach the flight encountered gusty winds. The airplane continued the approach, and when it was approximately 8 feet above the runway, it descended and landed flat on all three landing gears. The airplane then bounced. The captain applied partial power and full aft control column, but the airplane touched down again, with the nose immediately contacting the runway, followed by the propellers.
The first officer stated that during the final approach, he observed the captain manipulating the flight controls in response to turbulence. He described the landing as "we seemed to fly into the runway," resulting in a hard landing first on the nose landing gear, then the main landing gears. The airplane bounced and then landed hard again on the nose landing gear, which "gave way." Subsequently, the airplane veered off the runway and came to rest upright.
Weather Observations
A review of weather observations taken from the airport 4 minutes before the accident and 13 minutes after the accident revealed no report of wind gusts or rain at those times. Rain began 7 minutes after the reported time of the accident.
Company Policy
The Director of Flight Operations stated that company policy prohibits the exchange of seats between the captain and first officer unless authorized by him; he did not authorize the seat exchange for the accident flight.