What happened
The incident occurred during the landing phase at an airport in Virginia Beach. Upon touching down, the aircraft encountered a bump which caused it to bounce. In response to this unstable approach, the pilot decided to initiate a go-around procedure to abort the landing and climb back to altitude.
During the initial climb of the go-around, the left engine failed. The loss of thrust on one side resulted in a rapid loss of height. Unable to maintain control or regain sufficient altitude, the airplane crashed in the vicinity of the runway. Despite the severity of the impact, all 14 occupants were successfully rescued from the wreckage. The airframe sustained extensive damage and was declared beyond repair.
Findings
The official investigation identified the mechanical failure as the primary trigger for the accident. The sequence of events began with the failure of the left engine. This loss of power during the critical go-around phase led to a subsequent loss of control, which ultimately caused the aircraft to strike the ground.