Incredible recovery of a King Air
The errors here are too many to even go over.
Crack in windshield - Set cabin to 4.0 psid (Checklist)
Put on mask (that was checked and O2 turned on before takeoff)
Start emergency descent (Checklist)
TUC at FL250? 3-5 minutes
Rate of descent at 180 KIAS (gear speed), between 7 and 8,000 fpm
Time to reach 18,000 - just over a minute
TUC at 18,000 - 30 minutes or more
I think they depressurized (why) and didn't start down. Hence, when the O2 wasn't there, they passed out.
Marvelous tribute to the King Air airframe.
OBW, in the newer B200 (BB1444 and after) the O2 ON handle is on the left of the center console and the Passenger Manual Dropout handle is on the right (right below the Condition Levers).
There's nothing in the NTSB preliminary to conclude anything other than PE.
Sounds almost like the Payne Stewart accident but they lucked out.
Loooooots of KA time, former FSI instructor (Center 32)