What happened
While performing a flight from La Verne toward La Grande, the aircraft was operating at its cruising altitude when a catastrophic structural failure occurred. During this phase of flight, one of the wings detached from the airframe. This separation caused the aircraft to lose stability and enter an uncontrollable spin. The descent concluded with the plane impacting the ground and catching fire.
There was only one person on board during the accident. The pilot was killed in the crash.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified that the primary cause was an airframe failure occurring during flight. The wreckage analysis indicated that the wing spars suffered an overload failure, which led to the separation of the wing from the main body of the plane. It was determined that the structural integrity was compromised because the aircraft was subjected to stresses exceeding its design limits.