What happened
During a visual flight rules approach, an aircraft was observed by witnesses with its landing gear extended before the nose pitched upward. Following this pitch change, the plane rolled to the left and struck a group of trees. The impact was followed by a fire that destroyed the engine nacelles, the cockpit, the cabin, the cargo area, and parts of the wings.
Post-accident inspections showed that the landing gear was actually in the up and locked position, with flaps set at 30°. This configuration suggested an attempted go-around. The aircraft was operating under a restricted category airworthiness certificate. At the time of the crash, the cargo area held various items including tools, hoses, an oil stove, and two fuel tanks, along with a 55-gallon drum.
Findings
Investigators determined that both occupants were killed in the accident. Several contributing factors were identified regarding the flight operations and environmental conditions. The runway surface was covered in a layer of ice at the time of the incident. Additionally, there was a significant discrepancy in documentation, as the Alaska supplement listed the runway length as 1,000 feet longer than its actual measurement.
Official findings attributed the accident to several errors by the pilot in command. These included improper in-flight planning and decision-making, as well as maintaining inadequate airspeed and altitude. The investigation concluded that an inadvertent stall occurred during an attempted go-around, leading to the loss of control and subsequent collision with the terrain.