Flight Information
The Raytheon Beech 200C Super King Air, registered VH-FMN, departed Adelaide at 2240 hours Central Summer Time under Instrument Flight Rules for Mount Gambier, South Australia. The aircraft was being positioned to transport a patient from Mount Gambier to Sydney for a medical procedure with time constraints. On board were the pilot and one medical crewmember, seated in a rear-facing seat behind the pilot. The pilot planned to refuel at Mount Gambier, with a flight time of 52 minutes.
Descent and Approach
After departure, the pilot climbed to 21,000 ft above mean sea level. At approximately 2308, the pilot requested and received from Air Traffic Services the latest weather report for Mount Gambier aerodrome, including an altimeter sub-scale pressure reading of 1012 millibars. The pilot commenced descent at about 2312. At approximately 2324, the aircraft descended through about 8,200 ft and below ATS radar coverage. Two minutes later, the pilot transmitted on the Mount Gambier Mandatory Broadcast Zone frequency that the aircraft was 26 NM north, inbound, had left 5,000 ft on descent, and was estimating the circuit at 2335. Starting at about 2327, the pilot made multiple transmissions to activate the aerodrome pilot activated lighting. At 2329, the pilot reported 19 NM north maintaining 4,000 ft. About three minutes later, another activation attempt was made. At 2333, the pilot reported being in the circuit and would report after landing.
Accident
Witnesses near the aircraft’s flight path reported that the aircraft was flying lower than normal for arrivals from the northwest. At approximately 2336, 56 minutes after departure, the aircraft impacted the ground 3.1 NM from the threshold of runway 18. The pilot sustained fatal injuries, and the medical crewmember sustained serious injuries but egressed unaided.
Probable Cause
The official investigation identified the following factors: dark night conditions existed in the area surrounding the approach path of the aircraft; for reasons which could not be ascertained, the pilot did not comply with the requirements of the published instrument approach procedures; and the aircraft was flown at an altitude insufficient to ensure terrain clearance.