The pilot placed the goggles case in front of the cockpit yoke to prop up the elevators to help the loading team deal with some tall cargo. The goggles case was never removed from the cockpit yoke. During the first seconds of takeoff, the plane's nose started to pitch up too far, so the pilot tried to adjust by moving the yoke forward. But the goggles case blocked the yoke.

The pilot "misidentified the ensuing flight control problem," the report said, "resulting in improper recovery techniques" by both the pilot and the co-pilot. The plane's nose pitched upward too fast, leading to a stall and a crash, the report said.

"The blocking of the flight controls during loading operations is a non-standard procedure," the report said, "as such, there is no regulatory guidance to prohibit the act, or to address the proper placement and removal of the object blocking the controls."

The report said it was the responsibility of the pilot and co-pilot to remember to remove the goggles case, even though it wasn't on their checklist before takeoff.