The NTSB conducted a testflight in an EMB-120 with the left engine having the propeller control mechanism set to a similar mechanical condition but blocking the propeller blades from moving below 22 degrees to not endanger the flight crew. It was found that the flight crew would have been unable to perceive any problem with the airplane until the propeller blade angle was between 24 and 26 degrees. They stated that the airplane would have "become very difficult to control after the propeller reached the 22-degree stop. Therefore, it is most likely that the pilots of flight 2311 did not notice a problem with the airplane until the propeller began to overspeed and roll control was affected." Thus, the flight crew would have been unable to declare an emergency as the event was so sudden. The crashed aircraft's left engine propeller blades went to 3 degrees instead of the commanded 79.2 degrees for feathering.