That’s the very good point you came up with. It could be MTOW( Max takeoff weight) issue too being Dornier 228s MTOW is just 5700-6200 which is not a whole lot. Really not much info on its engine either (Garrett TPE 331-5-252D). I have seen engine like Pratt & Whitney’s PT6 (turboprop) that got filter on inlet duct so bird ingestion wouldn’t be possible. At this point, I speculate one engine failure due to bird strike and pilot couldn’t regain control being flying in very low altitude. Just my two cents.