What happened
The flight proceeded normally until the pilot established the aircraft on a VOR approach. After completing the procedure turn and becoming inbound to the VOR, the pilot observed that the aircraft was descending through approximately 1,300 feet MSL (1,000 feet AGL). At that time, the pilot noted that the descent rate was stabilized and sufficient to meet the crossing restriction at the VOR.
Following this observation, the pilot scanned the VOR navigation heads for several seconds to cross-check the aircraft's position on the approach course radial. Shortly after this scan, the aircraft flew into level terrain located about 1.5 miles south of the airport.