The sad part of the story is - according that FlightAware record > see #40 link - untill few minutes before the crash they were at a safe altitude.
So, what made them descend so rapidly ??
- a yet unknown weather related problem ?
- an attempt to brake clear of clouds early and proceed VMC to Dillingham?
- a fatal trust on a clearance for an altitude that became invalid by the track they were sent to?
Many open questions and only the CVR - if installed and active - and ATC tapes of RADAR and Radio data may give an answer.
Last edited by Annex14; 17th Mar 2013 at 17:17.