Incident Overview
The aircraft departed Washington-National Airport bound for Birmingham, Alabama. Four minutes after departure, while climbing to an altitude of 9,300 feet, monitoring radar stations lost continuous reception of the aircraft's primary and secondary radar target information. Shortly thereafter, ground witnesses observed an explosion in the sky, followed by the wreckage falling to the ground. The weather at the time was overcast with light rain.
Casualties and Damage
The four occupants aboard the aircraft were killed and the aircraft was destroyed. On the ground, one residence and two automobiles were destroyed by impact and fire. Additionally, several other homes were damaged by falling debris.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined the probable cause to be a failure or malfunction of an undetermined nature in the pilot's attitude indicating system, which led to a loss of control and overstress of the aircraft structure.