What happened
During a nighttime approach to Trenton Airport, the crew experienced a failure of one of the aircraft's engines. In response to this mechanical issue, the flight crew attempted to execute a go-around procedure. During this maneuver, the aircraft type lost sufficient airspeed and entered a stall. The plane subsequently crashed into the ground several miles before reaching the runway, resulting in a post-impact fire. There were four fatalities among the occupants of the aircraft.
Findings
Official investigations concluded that the primary reason for the accident was a powerplant failure occurring during the final approach phase. Several environmental and operational factors contributed to the loss of control:
- Poor visibility due to fog and rain
- Low cloud ceilings
- Failure to maintain necessary flying speed
- Failure to retract the landing gear during the go-around
- Improper execution of IFR procedures