What happened
During a visual flight rules (VFR) flight conducted on top of the weather, traveling from Scottsbluff to Eugene, the aircraft experienced a failure of its right engine. In an effort to perform an emergency landing, the pilot lowered the altitude of the plane, which resulted in the aircraft descending into severe weather conditions. After the crew extended the flaps and landing gear, the aircraft type impacted an open field. The incident resulted in one serious injury to the pilot.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified a powerplant failure of unknown origin as a primary factor. Several environmental and operational elements contributed to the crash, including:
- Presence of airframe ice and icing conditions involving freezing rain and sleet
- Conditions that encouraged carburetor icing
- Accumulation of snow on the ground
- Failure to follow established emergency procedures and improper in-flight decision-making
- Failure to feather the propeller during the engine failure
- An unplanned forced landing on land away from an airport