What happened
During a nighttime approach to Albany under marginal weather conditions, the flight crew experienced mechanical issues involving the cruise lock system of the left engine propeller. Because the propeller could not be feathered, the aircraft lost altitude and struck two houses located approximately 3.8 miles before reaching the threshold of runway 01. The impact resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and both residences.
The accident led to a total of 17 fatalities, comprising two crew members, 14 passengers, and one person on the ground.
Findings
Investigations concluded that the primary reason for the crash was the crew's inability to feather the left propeller, which occurred alongside an unauthorized descent below the required minimum altitudes for the approach. While the exact reason for the failure of the propeller pitch lock remains undetermined, several contributing factors were identified regarding the flight crew's performance.
- The captain was heavily preoccupied with managing the malfunction of the cruise pitch lock.
- There was a lack of effective task sharing because the captain did not delegate essential responsibilities to the co-pilot.
- The first officer failed to follow established company procedures regarding altitude awareness.