What happened
On the morning of the accident, an aircraft departed from Godman Air Force Base in Louisville, Kentucky, en route to Charleston-Kanawha Airport. The flight was carrying 21 people who were traveling to attend funerals for American service members killed in a separate recent aviation disaster.
During the approach to Kanawha Airfield, the aircraft encountered degraded weather conditions characterized by a low ceiling of approximately 150 feet. While descending toward runway 23, the plane struck treetops and caught fire in a forested area situated roughly 8 miles from the runway threshold.
The impact resulted in 20 fatalities and one serious injury among the occupants. Although one passenger survived the initial crash, they succumbed to their injuries nine days later, bringing the total death toll to 21.
Findings
Investigation into the crash highlighted that the aircraft was flying at an insufficient altitude during its descent. Contributing factors included malfunctioning flight instruments and extremely low visibility due to the weather conditions present at the time of the impact.