At 0835 Eastern time, the airplane was destroyed during a collision with trees and structures in a residential area while attempting an emergency landing. The Commercial pilot and the Airline Transport pilot aboard were fatally injured. Three people on the ground were killed and four others were seriously injured. A postcrash fire consumed the airplane and two single-family homes. Visual conditions prevailed. At at 08:32:50, shortly after reaching a cruising altitude of 6000 feet, the airplanes crew declared an emergency, advising ATC there was “smoke in the cockpit” and announcing their intention to land at a nearby airport. The last radio transmission from the crew, at 08:33:15, was cut off in mid-sentence. Several witnesses later said the airplane was traveling “extremely fast,” was “very low,” and the wings were “rocking.” Just prior to impact, the airplane made a sharp turn to the west in a “steep” bank. Several described smoke trailing from the airplane, and one witness stated, “smoke was trailing from the port side.” The airplanes cockpit and cabin came to rest inside the eastern-most house, about 270 feet from the initial impact point. A wing-tip fuel tank was outside the house, adjacent to the main wreckage. On-site examination did not reveal any specific fire patterns or obvious points of ignition. The airplanes combustion heater was completely burned and could not be established as a point of ignition. Electrical components from the cockpit were harvested for additional examination.
