What happened
During the fourth leg of a scheduled night cargo operation, an aircraft was cruising at roughly 500 feet above ground level while en route to Mt Vernon, Illinois. During this phase of flight, the aircraft impacted several trees before ultimately striking the ground. Following the impact, inspections of the engines and propellers revealed no mechanical failures or malfunctions.
The pilot survived the accident but reported a total loss of memory regarding the sequence of events leading to the crash. At the time of the incident, the pilot was using a portable radio device intended to prevent drowsiness, noting that they had experienced episodes of falling asleep during previous night cargo flights.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified several contributing factors related to the pilot's operation of the aircraft. The primary cause was determined to be an in-flight collision with an object.
Specific findings included:
- Failure to maintain the required altitude
- Pilot fatigue resulting from the flight schedule
- Poor judgment by the pilot in command
- Limited visibility due to night lighting conditions