Incident Overview
An aircraft was destroyed and all six occupants were killed after it struck trees and crashed on high terrain about 6.5 miles west-southwest of Little Rock airport. The airport elevation is 464 feet. The accident occurred during the second approach attempt after the pilot had declared a missed approach on the first.
Sequence of Events
According to official records, before and during the flight, the pilot received information about thunderstorms near the destination airport. While arriving, the pilot was given the Little Rock altimeter setting and cleared to descend and cross the NDB (initial approach fix) at or above 3,100 feet msl. Subsequently, he was cleared for the approach. About 7.5 minutes later, the pilot declared a missed approach and requested another. He acknowledged clearance for the second approach, after which there was no further radio contact with the aircraft. The aircraft then hit trees and crashed on mountainous terrain at an elevation of about 1,195 feet msl while on an easterly heading.
The minimum altitude for the approach was 2,300 feet until established inbound from the NDB. Then, when using the Little Rock altimeter setting, a minimum altitude of 1,860 feet was required until passing the Baiks fan marker, 4.6 miles from the runway. The pilot failed to maintain these altitudes.
Weather and Terrain
A pilot waiting to depart the airport estimated a variable overcast at 300 to 700 feet, visibility 1 to 2 miles with rain. The official findings listed conditions as dark night, low ceiling, fog, and rain. Terrain was described as mountainous and hilly.
Probable Cause
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause to be the pilot's failure to maintain obstacle clearance altitude and exceeding the minimum descent altitude published in the approach procedure. Contributing factors included the dark night, low ceiling, fog, rain, and mountainous terrain.