What happened
Shortly after departing Richmond-Byrd Field Airport, the crew reported an engine failure to air traffic control while at an altitude of approximately 3,000 feet. They received authorization to return to the origin airport. However, due to heavy rain and nighttime conditions, the crew missed the approach path and was compelled to execute a go-around maneuver. During this attempt to regain altitude, the aircraft lost control and impacted the ground roughly six miles south of the airfield. The impact resulted in total destruction of the airframe, and all 27 occupants were killed.
Findings
The official investigation determined that the accident was caused by the pilot's inability to maintain adequate control during an emergency single-engine instrument approach under adverse weather conditions. Several contributing factors were identified, including the decision to continue the flight into unsafe weather, a failure to inspect the engines prior to departure, and the erroneous shutdown of the functioning engine due to vibration issues. Additionally, the pilot failed to retract the landing gear during the emergency go-around.