What happened
Shortly after departing from Washington-National Airport on a flight destined for Birmingham, Alabama, the aircraft experienced a catastrophic event during its ascent. While the plane was climbing through an altitude of approximately 9,300 feet, radar operators at monitoring stations lost all continuous tracking of both primary and secondary radar signals.
Following this loss of radar contact, observers on the ground witnessed an explosion occurring in the sky. The wreckage of the aircraft subsequently fell to the earth. At the time of the incident, weather conditions were characterized by overcast skies and light rainfall. The impact and resulting fire destroyed one house and two vehicles, while falling debris caused damage to several nearby residences.
All four people on board the aircraft perished in the accident, and the airframe was completely destroyed.
Findings
Investigations into the destruction of the aircraft identified a critical malfunction within the pilot's attitude indicating system. This instrument failure caused the crew to lose control of the plane, ultimately leading to structural overstress and the subsequent mid-air breakup.