What happened
During an aircraft checkout flight, a twin-engine airplane was conducting a VOR-B approach in actual instrument weather conditions. The crew, consisting of a commercial pilot and an airline transport pilot, was following the published procedure which involves tracking the 35 and 2-degree radial inbound to a VOR located at an elevation of 2,090 feet.
Radar data indicated that while executing the approach, the aircraft appeared to follow the published procedure normally, with the exception of flying parallel to the final approach course approximately one mile to the east. The pilots had previously informed air traffic controllers of their intention to execute the missed approach procedure. However, after passing the Missed Approach Point (MAP), the crew failed to initiate the required climb from 2,100 feet to 3,200 feet. The aircraft continued tracking toward the VOR at the minimum descent altitude, eventually impacting the mountain just below the VOR station.
The investigation
An analysis of recorded radar data revealed that the flight path deviated from the final approach course by approximately one mile to the east during the approach phase. The investigation also confirmed that the aircraft did not perform the climb portion of the published missed approach procedure after passing the MAP.