Accident Overview
Two Civil Air Patrol pilots were conducting a series of practice instrument approaches under visual flight rules on a dark night. The pilot occupying the left seat, who was believed to be flying the approaches, was not instrument current at the time. After completing the first approach and receiving clearance for a second, air traffic control advised the crew that the ceiling had dropped to 900 feet broken, rendering the field instrument flight rules. When queried, the crew chose to continue their approaches under an IFR clearance.
Sequence of Events
During the second approach, the pilots experienced difficulty intercepting the localizer. Despite having decided to make the subsequent landing a full-stop, they could not establish on the localizer and ultimately executed a missed approach. On the following approach, they again struggled to intercept the localizer. When advised of a C130 aircraft following them for a landing, the crew requested another missed approach.
Loss of Control
While executing the missed approach, the flying pilot initiated a climbing turn to reposition for another approach. During this maneuver, control of the aircraft was lost, and the aircraft descended into the waters of a shallow water collection pond/swamp.
Investigation
The official investigation source provides no explicit probable cause for the accident beyond the loss of control during the missed approach. No information on aircraft type, registration, date, operator, location, occupants, injuries, or damage is specified in the source.