On a first glance it did look like they where racing the storm to the field, however, they obviously circumnavigated the main cell but were still doing 280kts at 2900 ft, slowing down in time to 130kts (I think approach speed)
FlightAware > Live Flight Tracker > Track Log > ECJ81 > 31-Jul-2008 > KACY-KOWA
What anybody could see on earlier live shots, was tire marks leading of the end of the runway, taking out half of the LOC antennas and then kept going in an arc finishing by cartwheeling into the cornfield.
I knew the captain, we used to work for the same flight school years back. These days my company shares the same hangar with his - RIP CJ
