Accident Overview
An airplane was destroyed when it impacted trees and terrain during an instrument approach, coming to rest inverted on a 45-degree sloped ridge. A post-impact fire consumed the wreckage.
Sequence of Events
The pilot initially landed at an airport situated at an elevation of 2,737 feet MSL, located 17.5 nautical miles southeast of the intended destination airport. While stopped, the pilot contacted a fellow company pilot who was at the destination airport to obtain a weather report. Weather reports indicated that at the destination airport (elevation 218 feet MSL), cloud bases were at 1,100 feet AGL and cloud tops at 3,000 feet AGL.
Shortly after departing from the intermediate airport, air traffic control (ATC) cleared the pilot for an ILS approach to the destination airport's runway 32. For reasons not determined, the pilot cancelled the approach and requested to hold at a fix until cleared for another approach. Approximately 16 minutes later, ATC cleared the pilot for another ILS approach to runway 32. ATC instructed the pilot to cancel his IFR clearance after landing; the pilot acknowledged the instruction, and that was the last communication from the pilot.
Impact and Wreckage
The airplane struck several trees and came to rest inverted on a 45-degree sloped ridge. The aircraft was destroyed by a post-impact fire. Two separated sections of the left wing were found wrapped around near the tops of 125-foot-tall trees. The wreckage energy path measured approximately 300 feet in length on a measured magnetic heading of 190 degrees.
Examination Findings
A detailed examination of the wreckage revealed no aircraft or engine anomalies that would have prevented normal operations.