Accident Overview
A nonscheduled cargo flight crashed during the second leg of a two-leg operation. The initial leg departed the preceding evening, and after landing for fuel about 3.5 hours later, the accident flight departed an hour after refueling. The aircraft entered a cruise descent about 39 miles from the destination airport.
Flight Details
The pilots reported to air traffic control that they were executing a wide base and were subsequently cleared for a visual approach and landing. The landing clearance was acknowledged, and no further communications were received. No problems or anomalies were reported during the flight.
Approach and Impact
The airplane was briefly established on final approach before radar contact was lost. It impacted trees and terrain about 0.5 mile short of the runway and came to rest in a trucking company parking lot. A postimpact fire ensued.
Post-Accident Examination
Damage to the landing gear indicated that it was extended at the time of impact. The position of the wing flaps could not be determined. Disparities in the propeller blade angles were likely due to the encounter with trees and the impact sequence. No evidence of mechanical anomalies related to the airframe, engines, or propellers was observed.
Review of air traffic control radar data revealed that the airplane's airspeed decayed to about 70 to 75 knots on final approach, which was at or below the documented aerodynamic stall speed in the landing configuration.
Although limited information about the flight crew's schedules was available, their performance was likely impaired by fatigue resulting from the total duration of the overnight flights and the approach being conducted during the circadian low. This likely led to the failure to maintain airspeed and recognize the impending stall.