What happened
While approximately five miles west of the airport, the flightcrew transitioned from IFR to VFR after reporting visual contact with the airfield. An eyewitness observed the aircraft type approaching from the east at an altitude consistent with VOR approach minimums. The aircraft flew over the runway and entered a tight downwind pattern, briefly disappearing behind low-lying clouds. Upon emerging from the clouds at roughly 200 feet, the aircraft was on a base leg and began overshooting the runway centerline with a bank angle reaching approximately 90 degrees.
Flight data and cockpit recordings indicate that while the first officer was flying the aircraft approximately 1.5 miles from the runway, the plane performed a series of left and right turns. During this period, the crew discussed visibility challenges. As the aircraft reached 1/8-mile from the runway threshold, the captain took control. The captain then executed a significant rightward heading change of about 60 degrees to realign with the runway. The aircraft crossed the runway at 200 feet and initiated a left turn toward the airport center.
During the maneuvers, the first officer moved the flaps to 20 degrees. However, the aircraft's descent continued, and the crew entered a left downwind at 400 feet. While on the base leg, the captain requested flaps 20, and the first officer acknowledged the command. Following this, a trim-in-motion click was recorded, but the aircraft subsequently entered a state resembling a stall warning. The aircraft eventually struck a residential rooftop, several trees, and multiple homes before coming to a rest in a nearby river. There were 0 fatalities reported in the provided text, though the impact sequence was highly destructive.
Findings
Post-accident examination of the wreckage revealed that the flap selector switch was actually in the UP position, contradicting the crew's verbal communications. Discrepancies were also noted in the airspeed indicator reference bugs between the captain and the first officer. Analysis of the aircraft's performance indicated that the stall speeds for the configured bank angles and flap settings were higher than the actual operating speeds at the time of the accident, contributing to the aerodynamic stall.