What happened
Shortly after departing, a Fairchild Metroliner struck trees and the ground, which led to the total destruction of the aircraft and a subsequent fire. Radar data indicated the aircraft followed a horseshoe-shaped flight path, characterized by a left climbing turn that reached a peak altitude of 2,479 feet, followed by a descending left turn.
Witnesses reported hearing the aircraft flying at a very low altitude with an engine sound described as high-speed and intense. Before the flight, a courier loaded 14 cases and 5 bags into the plane, noting that the loading process appeared routine. At the time of the accident, the weather consisted of light rain and mist with visibility limited to one statute mile and an overcast ceiling of only 200 feet.
Findings
Investigations into the aircraft's electrical systems revealed issues with the annunciator panel. Specifically, examination of the light assemblies for the right-hand AC BUS indicator showed that one bulb filament had been stretched, deformed, and fractured, while the other was also stretched and deformed.
The aircraft's left and right attitude gyros were powered by the 115-volt alternating current essential bus, which relies on inverters. While the aircraft was not equipped with a backup attitude gyro, such equipment was not required for its certification. The pilot involved had approximately 75 hours of experience in this specific model and had completed 190 flight hours within the previous 90 days. Following the accident, the operator changed its operational procedures by adding a First Officer to the crew, moving away from single-pilot operations for this aircraft type. The loss of attitude gyro functionality was a significant factor under investigation.