Accident Details
At 0522 CST, the airplane was destroyed when it impacted trees and the embankment of a county road approximately 1.25 miles southeast of the destination airport. The flight had been cleared for and was flying inbound on the LOC RWY 31 instrument approach.
Weather and Approach
The observed weather at 0513 included visibility of 1/4 mile, fog, broken clouds at 100 feet above ground level, and an overcast ceiling at 500 feet above ground level. Temperature and dew point were both 52 degrees Fahrenheit. The LOC RWY 31 approach plate indicated the airport elevation was 1,076 feet. The Minimum Descent Altitude for the missed approach was 1,540 feet mean sea level, with a visibility minimum of 1/2 mile.
Pilot Duty Schedule
The pilot's flight duty log was recovered at the accident site. It showed the pilot was off duty on October 19, 2001. On October 20, 2001, he logged 16.1 hours of duty time, which included 4.3 hours of flight time. He was off duty on October 21, 2001. The pilot reported for flight duty at 1400 on October 22, 2001. That duty day consisted of seven separate flight legs conducted under 14 CFR Part 135 regulations, and the eighth leg was a Part 91 positioning flight. The pilot's total duty time on the day of the accident was 15.4 hours.
Aircraft Examination
A post-accident inspection of the airplane revealed no preexisting anomalies. The aircraft appeared to have been in normal operating condition prior to the impact.