That was the point I was thinking of earlier but obviously I didn't put it across very well. In a down draft, the aeroplane still has forward velocity, and the only way NOT to have forward velocity is to stop flying.
I believe the stall on the B55 is about 75 kts so if as described, hitting a down draft one would still expect to see the result of a 75 kt head on - wings ripped off for example.