What happened
During a night-time on-demand passenger flight, the pilot was executing a non-precision LNAV approach under instrument meteorological conditions. At the time of the incident, visibility was at or near the established minimums for a straight-in approach. The pilot initially reported a stabilized approach with no immediate irregularities noted. After reaching the missed approach altitude and leveling the aircraft, the pilot observed the runway end lights, strobe lights, and the precision approach path indicator.
While attempting to transition to manual flight by disconnecting the autopilot and reaching for the landing light controls, the runway became obscured by cloud cover. In response to the loss of visual references, the pilot initiated a missed approach by applying engine power. However, the aircraft struck the ground short of the runway while maintaining a nose-up, level attitude. The pilot sustained facial injuries during the impact.
Findings
Investigation into the event suggests that the primary factor was the loss of visual contact with the runway due to visibility being near approach minimums. It is believed the aircraft descended too low to safely execute a missed approach, leading to controlled flight into terrain.
- No mechanical failures or anomalies were reported that would have prevented the aircraft from operating normally.
- A passenger noted that neither the pilot nor the passenger were utilizing the available shoulder harnesses during the flight.
- The passenger also indicated they had not been briefed on the presence of shoulder harnesses or the proper adjustment of the seating.