What happened
During a flight to relocate an aircraft for scheduled maintenance, the pilot was traveling alone when the aircraft struck the ground. Witnesses near the airfield observed the pilot prior to departure, noting that he appeared visibly angry and exhibited slurred speech following a difficulty starting a tug. The aircraft type departed the runway with a high nose-up attitude, reaching an altitude between 500 and 1,000 feet before leveling off while turning southwest.
After completing this turn, the aircraft transitioned to a northeast heading back toward the airport. During its descent, the plane maintained a slightly left-wing low attitude before impacting the ground roughly 1.5 miles south-southwest of the airfield. The impact resulted in a post-crash fire, and the wreckage was distributed across an area measuring approximately 600 feet in length and 45 feet at its widest point. There were one fatality resulting from the accident.
Findings
Investigations into the crash revealed that the engines were functioning normally at the time of impact, and no mechanical failures were identified prior to the collision. However, a toxicology analysis of the pilot's liver tissue fluid indicated an alcohol level of 2.26‰. The official findings attributed the accident to several factors, including poor judgment by the pilot, impairment due to alcohol, and failure to maintain proper altitude or correct a descending flight path. Additionally, environmental factors such as low ceilings and fog were noted as contributing elements to the event.