Accident Sequence
The commercial pilot was flying an on-demand passenger flight at night in instrument meteorological conditions that were at or near the straight-in approach minimums for the runway. The pilot flew the approach as a non-precision LNAV approach and reported that the approach was stabilized and that he did not notice anything unusual. A few seconds after leveling the airplane at the missed approach altitude, he saw the runway end lights, strobe lights, and the precision approach path indicator. He then disconnected the autopilot and removed his hand from the throttles to turn on the landing lights. However, before he could activate the landing lights, the runway became obscured by clouds.
Pilot Actions
The pilot immediately decided to conduct a missed approach and applied engine power. Despite this, the airplane subsequently impacted terrain short of the runway in a nose-up level attitude. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot lost sight of the runway due to the visibility being at or near the straight-in approach minimums and that the airplane got too low for a successful missed approach, resulting in controlled flight into terrain.
Passenger Account
A passenger stated that he and the pilot were not wearing available shoulder harnesses. The passenger said that he was not informed that the airplane was equipped with shoulder harnesses or told how to adjust the seats. The pilot sustained injuries to his face in the accident.
Investigation Findings
The probable cause of the accident was determined to be the pilot's failure to attain a positive climb rate during an attempted missed approach in night instrument meteorological conditions that were at or near approach minimums, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.