On February 20, 1985, a Beech 58 (registration N25654) was involved in an aviation accident near Hibbing, MN. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's decision to transition to a visual landing while below the minimum descent altitude and off-centerline, which resulted in a hard landing and subsequent runway excursion. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive; 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
During an instrument approach, the pilot attempted a visual landing while off-centerline and below glidepath, resulting in a hard touchdown and runway excursion into a snowbank.
What happened
The aircraft departed the paved surface after executing a hard landing. The pilot reported that during the final phase of an instrument approach, the airplane was positioned fifty feet above the ground and displaced to the left of the centerline when passing the middle marker. At this specific point in the descent, a passenger indicated that the runway was visible off to the right side.
Relying on this visual reference, the pilot attempted to complete the landing visually rather than continuing the instrument procedure. The aircraft touched down hard approximately five degrees off the runway heading. Following touchdown, the airplane continued its momentum off the end of the runway and came to rest in a snowbank.
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to transition to a visual landing while below the minimum descent altitude and off-centerline, which resulted in a hard landing and subsequent runway excursion.