What happened
During a nighttime instrument landing system (ILS) approach, the aircraft collided with a powerline approximately two miles short of the runway. The incident occurred after the pilot received a low altitude alert from air traffic control. At the time of the collision, the left engine had already lost power and was feathered. Concerned about potential damage to the landing gear if retracted, the pilot chose to leave it extended.
The pilot reported that ice was accumulating on the windshield during the descent but stated he maintained visual contact through the left quarter of the windshield. He indicated he was flying the approach with a glide slope indication showing one dot high when he leveled off at an altitude of approximately 800 feet mean sea level (MSL). Shortly before impact, the pilot responded to an air traffic control query by stating he had contacted the ground, could see the runway, had ice on his windshield, and that his glide slope was not working.
The investigation
Post-accident examination of the aircraft's navigation equipment revealed that the glide slope receiver was inoperative, yet it continued to display a one dot high indication. This discrepancy likely contributed to the pilot's misjudgment of vertical position during the final approach segment. Additionally, checks of the altimeters showed only a 70-foot difference between them, indicating they were functioning correctly relative to each other.
Findings
The crash site elevation was recorded at 596 feet MSL. The combination of an inoperative glide slope receiver providing erroneous vertical guidance and the pilot's reliance on that data led to the premature descent into the powerline. The inability to maintain altitude after striking the obstruction resulted in the fatal outcome.
Safety message
Pilots must remain vigilant for discrepancies between instrument indications and actual aircraft attitude, especially during night operations in icing conditions. Verification of navigation system status is critical when visual references are limited or compromised by weather phenomena such as windshield ice.