What happened
During a visual approach to its destination, the aircraft struck mountainous terrain while maintaining a level descent. Radar records indicate that the flight had descended from 15,000 feet approximately ten minutes prior to the impact. The collision occurred roughly 8 miles from the target airport, with the aircraft striking a ridgeline at an elevation approximately 200 feet below the obscured summit, which sits at 2,550 feet.
Six minutes before the accident, the pilot communicated with air traffic control and acknowledged the termination of radar services. Radar contact with the aircraft was lost when the plane was 12.4 miles from the crash site. Due to heavy fog, search and rescue operations were significantly hindered, and the wreckage was not discovered until the following day.
Findings
Investigation into the flight path revealed that the trajectory closely resembled a GPS-based approach to the airport. While the aircraft was equipped with a GPS navigation system, the installation of this equipment was unfinished, which limited its operational use to visual flight rules (VFR) only. It remains unconfirmed whether the GPS was actively utilized during the final stages of the flight.
Additionally, the aircraft was fitted with a non-enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System. The aeronautical charts for the region, which include a 3,000-foot maximum elevation figure, also contained an advisory for pilots to exercise caution due to the presence of rapidly rising terrain. The terrain collision occurred as the aircraft was flying through an area with significant elevation changes.