Passenger Account
A passenger who survived the crash stated that the flight had just taken off and was climbing over a bay. The pilot said, "here comes a gust," and then applied additional engine power. At that moment, the airplane started to descend. The right wing began to drop, and the nose pitched down. The pilot turned the control yoke fully to the left and yelled that they were going to crash. The aircraft hit the water. The passenger escaped by exiting through the windshield and did not see the pilot afterward. The wreckage was partially recovered days later, and the pilot was found still in his seat, deceased.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause statement read: "The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions, and failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and collision with terrain (water). A factor associated with the accident was the gusty wind condition."