What happened
Following the completion of an air taxi service, the crew arrived at Thief River Falls to disembark passengers. Shortly after landing, the pilot initiated the return leg to the base in Minot. The departure from Thief River Falls occurred only minutes after the previous arrival, as the pilot sought to prepare for a scheduled flight the following day.
During the flight, the aircraft entered a thunderstorm. Meteorological analysis, including Doppler radar data from the University of North Dakota and a study by the Safety Board, confirmed that the aircraft flew into the heart of a storm cell. The aircraft was positioned directly beneath a powerful downdraft when the pilot lost control of the plane.
Findings
Investigation into the accident revealed that the aircraft encountered the center of a microburst during the flight. Additionally, there was no documented evidence that a weather briefing had been conducted prior to the departure from Thief River Falls.