What happened
During a scheduled cargo operation departing from Wichita, an aircraft was performing its final approach into Hays when the pilot lost control of the plane. The aircraft entered a steep dive and struck the ground several miles from the runway threshold, where it subsequently caught fire. The impact resulted in two fatalities, with no survivors among the crew.
Findings
The investigation determined that the primary cause of the accident was an aerodynamic stall occurring during the final approach phase because the pilot did not maintain sufficient airspeed. Several environmental factors contributed to the difficulty of the flight conditions, including:
- Presence of icing, specifically sleet and freezing rain
- Low cloud ceilings
- Reduced visibility of three miles or less
- Dense fog