Accident Details
During a night approach to Iron Mountain-Ford Airport, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions with very limited visibility. On final approach, the pilot failed to realize that his altitude was too low. The airplane subsequently struck a dirt bank and crashed in flames. The aircraft was destroyed in the accident. The pilot, who was the sole occupant on board, was killed.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the probable cause of the accident was improper in-flight decisions on the part of the pilot, who continued VFR flight into adverse weather conditions. The following contributing factors were identified: the pilot failed to initiate a go-around, the altimeter setting was incorrect, the aircraft was not aligned with the runway, the weather was considerably worse than forecast, and heavy fog was present.