What happened
During an instructional flight conducted under instrument meteorological conditions, a multi-engine aircraft was performing a second instrument approach. Following a change in the landing runway, air traffic control vectored the crew toward a southwesterly heading, instructing them to maintain an altitude of 1,600 feet until established on the localizer. Radar tracking showed the aircraft maintained 1,600 feet for approximately 99 seconds before initiating a descending right turn.
As the aircraft descended to 1,100 feet, the controller issued a low altitude alert. The aircraft then entered a rapid descent exceeding 4,800 feet per minute. Despite a second altitude alert and an instruction to climb back to 1,600 feet, the aircraft's flight path remained unstable. After a brief, high-rate climb, the aircraft descended again at 1,500 feet per minute, at which point radar contact was lost near the accident site. There were 3 fatalities involved in the incident.
Findings
Investigation of the airframe, engines, and propellers showed no mechanical anomalies that would have prevented normal operation. Data indicated the aircraft had been flying a stable path consistent with autopilot use until the final turn to intercept the localizer. The investigation concluded that the pilot receiving instruction likely experienced spatial disorientation due to the challenges of maneuvering in restricted visibility.
Furthermore, toxicology results for the flight instructor revealed significant levels of oxycodone and oxymorphone in liver and muscle tissue. The presence of these opioids at levels sufficient to cause psychoactive impairment suggests the instructor failed to recognize and correct the pilot's disorientation. While ethanol was detected in the tissues of all three crew members, this was attributed to postmortem production rather than consumption.