What happened
The aircraft departed Detroit at 0748 local time, slightly behind schedule, carrying eighteen passengers and 550 gallons of fuel. The flight was operating on an instrument flight plan with a planned cruise altitude of 2,500 feet sea level. Routine position reports were transmitted to air traffic control at 0800, 0807, and 0822. At 0840, Air Route Traffic Control in Chicago instructed the crew to climb to 4,000 feet sea level, a maneuver that was completed immediately.
At 0859, the flight was cleared from South Bend, Indiana, to the Chicago Tower with instructions to maintain 4,000 feet until ten minutes after passing over South Bend. The crew reported passing this point at 0902. No further radio contact was established until 0918, when the pilot transmitted that both engines were failing and the aircraft was descending at 1,000 feet per minute while searching for a suitable landing area. Shortly after, the crew reported an altitude of 900 feet. Chicago air traffic control suggested proceeding to South Bend if possible, but this instruction was not acknowledged.
The aircraft impacted the ground in the northeastern part of Michigan City, approximately two miles from Lake Michigan. The direction of initial impact was just south of east, which is roughly opposite the course from Detroit to Chicago.
Findings
Investigations determined that the accident resulted from the accumulation of carburetor ice, which led to a loss of power in both engines. This failure was caused by fuel starvation. The specific reason for the fuel starvation could not be determined.