Accident Details
An aircraft departed Glasgow, Montana, where the passenger—the Secretary of State for Montana—had been campaigning. Initially, a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed, but during arrival at Helena, the pilot recognized worsening weather and filed an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The forecast had indicated a ceiling of 2,500 feet broken with light snow.
The pilot was cleared for an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to Runway 27 at 2328 Mountain Daylight Time. The pilot acknowledged the clearance, but shortly thereafter, radio contact was lost. The aircraft crashed along the ILS course after passing the final approach fix/outer marker.
Witnesses reported that a snowstorm began just before the accident occurred and that visibility was near zero due to blowing snow. The aircraft impacted in a left-wing-low, nose-low attitude. Witnesses stated they heard the aircraft operating at high RPM and low altitude before the crash, with some reporting an increase in engine sound before impact and one witness noting the engine sound varied from high to low RPM.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
No preimpact part failure or malfunction was found. The pilot had logged 2 hours in the C-310 model and 3 instrument hours in the previous 90 days.