Incident Overview
During a night instrument landing system (ILS) approach, the airplane struck a powerline approximately two miles short of the runway. This occurred after air traffic control (ATC) provided a low altitude alert to the pilot. Following the powerline strike, the left engine lost power and was feathered. The pilot, fearing possible landing gear damage, left the gear extended. Unable to maintain altitude, the airplane crashed before reaching the runway.
Pilot Actions and Observations
The pilot reported that ice was accumulating on the windshield during the descent but stated he could see quite well through the left quarter of the windshield. He was flying the approach with a glide slope indication of one dot high when he leveled off at an altitude indication of about 800 feet mean sea level (MSL). Before the crash, the pilot responded to an ATC query stating he was in contact with the ground, had the runway in sight, had ice on his windshield, and that his glide slope was not working.
Equipment Findings
A post-incident check of the glide slope receiver revealed it was inoperative, displaying a persistent one dot high indication. The altimeters were checked and showed only a 70-foot difference between them. The elevation of the crash site was 596 feet MSL.