What happened
During an approach to a mountain airport, the pilot was unfamiliar with the local terrain and airport layout. The initial visual approach was conducted at an excessive altitude, prompting the pilot to initiate a go-around. During the subsequent second approach, the aircraft maintained a high altitude before the descent angle steepened, causing the aircraft to pitch nose-down toward the runway.
The nose gear made contact approximately halfway down the runway, followed by the main landing gear. This touchdown resulted in a bounce, or porpoising, of the aircraft. As the aircraft banked to the right, the right wing struck the ground. The aircraft then flipped over and moved off the right side of the runway, which led to a post-crash fire.
Findings
An inspection of the engines and airframe showed no evidence of mechanical failures prior to the impact. However, investigators noted that the thrust reverser on the right engine was deployed during the impact, while the left engine's thrust reverser remained stowed. While single-engine reverse thrust is controllable under normal conditions, the aircraft was already in an unstable state due to the previous bounce. The asymmetrical thrust caused by the deployment of only one reverser likely worsened the uncontrolled touchdown.