Incident Overview
An aircraft traveling from Salina, Kansas, to Denver, Colorado, experienced an engine failure during normal cruise. The pilot notified air traffic control of the failure and decided to divert to the nearest airport. However, the airplane subsequently lost altitude, entered a stall, and crashed in Hays, Kansas. The aircraft was destroyed, and all seven occupants were killed.
Probable Cause and Contributing Factors
According to official findings, the probable cause of the accident was an engine failure during normal cruise and a subsequent stall, resulting from a compressor assembly bearing failure. Contributing factors reported include material failure, improper in-flight decisions, failure to maintain flying speed, complete failure of one engine, and a forward main shaft bearing failure.