What happened
During the enroute phase of the flight, the crew received information indicating that weather conditions at Cheyenne were unfavorable. Consequently, the aircraft was rerouted to Laramie as an alternate destination. Upon arrival at the new location, the crew encountered light snow and visibility limited to two miles. Despite these adverse conditions, the captain elected to attempt a landing. However, the pilot was unable to visually identify the airport and passed over it without seeing the runway.
Shortly after passing the field, the aircraft descended to an altitude of 75 feet while in a left bank of 70 degrees. At this point, the left wing struck the ground, causing the aircraft to crash and burn. All 13 occupants were killed in the accident.
Findings
The investigation concluded that the primary cause was the pilot's decision to maneuver the aircraft at a dangerously low altitude under extremely adverse weather conditions while attempting to land. A significant contributing factor was identified as the pilot's negligence in planning the flight into an area with forecasted adverse weather without making adequate provisions for a suitable alternate airport.