What happened
During an approach into Kenai, a twin engine aircraft encountered hazardous weather conditions involving ice fog, sleet, and freezing rain. While the crew was performing a final maneuver to align the plane with the runway's approach path, the aircraft entered a stall. This resulted in the plane crashing a short distance before reaching the runway.
There were nine occupants on board at the time of the accident. All nine individuals sustained injuries, with four of them documented as having serious injuries.
Findings
Investigations into the crash identified several contributing environmental and operational factors. The aircraft was subjected to heavy icing accumulation caused by the presence of freezing rain and sleet during a circling approach. Additionally, visibility was significantly reduced by fog.
Operational failures were also noted in the sequence leading to the accident. Specifically, the pilot did not successfully maintain or achieve the necessary flying speed required for the maneuver. The crash was further precipitated by an improperly planned approach and the fact that the aircraft was not correctly aligned with the runway at the moment the stall occurred.