What happened
During a nighttime approach to the Sanger Airport, the crew experienced a sudden loss of power in one of the engines. Upon realizing the engine had failed, the co-pilot notified ground personnel of the emergency situation. Despite efforts to manage the descent, the aircraft was unable to preserve sufficient altitude. This resulted in an aerodynamic stall, causing the aircraft type to impact the ground several miles before reaching the runway.
There were three fatalities among the occupants of the flight. At the time of the impact, the aircraft's weight exceeded its maximum allowable gross weight by approximately 827 lbs.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified several contributing elements to the crash:
- An engine failure occurred for reasons that could not be determined.
- The crew failed to perform adequate preflight preparations.
- The aircraft was improperly loaded, specifically regarding its weight and/or center of gravity.