What happened
On the night of the accident, a Raytheon Beech 200C Super King Air, registered VH-FMN, departed Adelaide at 22:40 CSuT. The aircraft was operating as an air ambulance, tasked with repositioning to Mount Gambier to collect a patient for transport to Sydney. The flight was conducted under Instrument Flight Rules, with the pilot and one medical crewmember on board.
After climbing to 21,000 ft, the pilot requested and received updated weather information and altimeter settings for Mount Gambier. The descent toward the destination began at approximately 23:12. As the aircraft descended through 8,200 ft, it moved below the coverage of Air Traffic Services radar. During the approach, the pilot utilized the Mount Gambier Mandatory Broadcast Zone frequency to provide position updates and attempted to activate the aerodrome pilot activated lighting via radio transmissions.
At 23:33, the pilot notified ATS that the aircraft had entered the circuit at Mount Gambier. Local witnesses noted that the aircraft appeared to be flying at a lower altitude than is typical for arrivals from the northwest. At 23:36, roughly 56 minutes after takeoff, the aircraft struck the ground approximately 3.1 NM from the threshold of runway 18. The accident resulted in one fatality and one serious injury.