What happened
Following a missed approach at the destination, the pilot requested weather updates for two nearby airports. The first option, located 53 miles northeast, reported a cloud ceiling of 900 feet and 6 miles of visibility. The pilot instead chose to proceed to the accident airport, situated 21 miles southwest, which was reporting an indefinite ceiling of zero and visibility of only 1/4 mile.
After completing a second missed approach, the flight continued toward the accident airport. Air traffic control provided radar vectors for the ILS runway 36L approach. During the final approach phase, the aircraft veered to the right of the localizer and experienced an abrupt descent. The last recorded altitude for the flight was below the decision height.
The investigation
Investigators examined the airport navigational aids used for the approach and found no anomalies. Additionally, the airplane's navigation receivers were determined to be fully operational. Postmortem examinations of the pilot showed no evidence of pre-existing diseases, and toxicological tests returned negative results for alcohol and other drugs.