What happened
During the climb phase, an aircraft experienced a sudden loss of power in both engines. The event occurred approximately 23 minutes after takeoff while the plane was ascending at an altitude of roughly 30,800 feet MSL. The failure was triggered by a reported lightning strike, which caused one engine to stop, followed by the second engine failing approximately two seconds later.
Prior to the incident, the pilot had been briefed on severe weather conditions, including a Convective Sigmet and a Severe Weather Watch. Although the pilot had requested a course change to the northeast to avoid heavy weather, the flight was still within the area covered by a Weather Watch. During the subsequent emergency descent, the crew attempted several air starts to restore engine power. Two attempts were made while the aircraft was outside the necessary airspeed envelope, and two additional attempts were made within the valid speed range, but all were unsuccessful.
During the descent, the crew maintained a speed of 170 knots for a best glide profile. The aircraft was vectored near a level 5 thunderstorm during this period. The crew also experienced a loss of navigation equipment. The aircraft eventually impacted heavily wooded terrain approximately 166 nautical miles from the departure airport on a bearing of 083 degrees. There were 0 fatalities and 0 injuries reported in the source text, though the impact itself is the primary event.
Findings
Investigation of the cockpit voice recorder revealed that the continuous ignition setting was not selected before the aircraft encountered turbulence. Additionally, the crew did not utilize the aircraft's checklists, nor did they perform any challenge and response procedures during the emergency. There was also no discussion regarding the shedding of electrical loads. While the hydraulic system cycled twice and the landing gear was deployed, no prior issues with the airframe or engines were identified.