Sequence of Events
The airplane was cleared for the full ILS approach to Runway 16. After crossing the locator outer marker (LOM), the aircraft turned outbound and executed a course reversal. It then proceeded inbound toward the LOM but never became established on the procedure turn. The aircraft passed abeam the LOM approximately half a mile to the northeast. It then conducted a single S-turn over the course of about one mile, crossing the final approach course twice before radar contact was lost. The last radar target recorded showed an altitude of 2,700 feet, positioned about half a mile west of the approach end of the runway. The airplane subsequently impacted trees at an elevation approximately 228 feet below the decision altitude of 2,325 feet. It came to rest in a wooded area on a heading of 160 degrees.
Post-accident examination of the wreckage revealed that the NAV 1 receiver was tuned to the localizer frequency, but the automatic direction finder was not tuned to the LOM. No preimpact failures or malfunctions were identified with either the airframe or the engine.
Pilot and Flight Information
The pilot had accumulated approximately 625 total hours of flight experience, which included 45 hours under simulated instrument conditions and 107 hours under actual instrument conditions. At the time of the accident, the airplane had been airborne for about 4 hours and 19 minutes, with an estimated 41 minutes of fuel remaining. It was considered unlikely that the pilot would have been able to reach the filed alternate airport, which was located approximately 100 nautical miles away.
Weather Conditions
Approximately one hour before the flight, the pilot was advised of decreasing ceilings to 400 feet with two miles of visibility. Interpolation of available weather data indicated that conditions at the arrival airport were about 200 feet overcast with 2.5 miles of visibility in light rain.