Accident Details
An instrument flight rules (IFR) arrival was conducted to the Westmoreland County Airport. The aircraft was vectored for an NDB runway 23 approach. At the NDB final approach fix, located 8.1 miles from the runway, the crew turned inbound and continued toward the airport. They contacted the tower and reported over the ILS outer marker, which is an intermediate point on the NDB final approach at 3.9 miles from the runway. The tower issued local landing advisories and cleared the aircraft to land.
Approach Sequence
Moments after the copilot advised the captain that they were 15 seconds from the missed approach point, the aircraft collided with trees. Impact occurred 3.8 miles southeast of the airport at the minimum descent altitude (MDA) of 1900 feet MSL.
Wind Information
Just before beginning the approach, the wind at Latrobe had changed from 230 degrees at 4 knots (a headwind) to a strong quartering tailwind. During the arrival, the crew were advised that the wind was from 340 degrees at 18 knots. They had calculated their timing to the missed approach point using a ground speed of 120 knots.
Aircraft Records
An examination of the aircraft records indicated a recurring and current squawk concerning the HSI slaving system. Earlier that day, the same crew and aircraft had terminated the same NDB approach one mile east of the airport.