What happened
Following a touch-and-go landing, the aircraft climbed to approximately 100 feet above the ground. At this altitude, the pilot transmitted a report of a problem, though no specific details regarding the nature of the issue were provided. The aircraft was observed entering what appeared to be a left turn initiated by the pilot. Shortly after, the aircraft's bank and pitch angles increased significantly. Just before impact, the aircraft's bank angle exceeded 80 degrees with the nose approximately 40 degrees below the horizon. The aircraft subsequently descended into a commercial aircraft located on a post-production parking ramp.
The investigation
An inspection of the aircraft following the accident, supplemented by security camera footage, confirmed that the flaps were in the full-down position at the time of impact. Investigators discovered that the flap latch inner pivot bushing and its retaining rivet were missing. This mechanical failure caused the flap latch to detach from its pivot point within the handle. Consequently, there was no way to disengage the latch from the full-down notch in the flap ratchet plate, making it impossible to retract the flaps. Additionally, the investigation found that the holes in the sides of the flap handle had worn into an oblong shape; one hole had increased in diameter by .337 inch.