What happened
The aircraft was operating under instrument flight rules and had been cleared for an instrument landing system approach to runway 05 at Buffalo, New York. During the descent, the pilot reported turning inbound from the Dunkirk VOR toward the final approach course. Air traffic control cleared the aircraft for the approach and instructed the pilot to report reaching the outer marker, a directive the pilot acknowledged.
Approximately one minute later, the pilot requested current surface wind conditions. After receiving the information, the pilot acknowledged receipt with an "OK." There were no further radio transmissions from the cockpit. Subsequent attempts by air traffic control to re-establish contact were unsuccessful.
The last recorded radar position at 04:08:42 showed the aircraft at an altitude of 2,500 feet, flying a heading of 55 degrees at 154 knots, located approximately 13 miles from the airport. The aircraft subsequently collided with Lake Erie. Search and rescue operations were conducted by the Coast Guard, which located some wreckage associated with the aircraft about two hours after the incident, at a position 12 miles from the airport.