What happened
During a Part 135 cargo operation, a pilot was conducting an approach to an airport lacking a dedicated weather reporting facility. Due to the absence of local meteorological data, regulatory and company protocols necessitated a VFR descent and landing from the Minimum Visual Altitude. Despite reports from a neighboring airfield indicating fog with 400-foot ceilings and 3-mile visibility, the pilot obtained clearance for a localizer approach.
After failing to complete the initial approach, the pilot notified Air Traffic Control and requested a second attempt at the same airport. During the execution of this second missed approach, the aircraft struck mountainous terrain while positioned along the localizer's extended centerline. At the time of the impact, the accident site was obscured by cloud cover. The pilot, who was the only person on board, was killed in the crash.
Findings
Investigation into the accident revealed that the aircraft had descended approximately 1,500 feet below a required minimum altitude during the first approach attempt. Additionally, the Mode C altitude data became unavailable during the missed approach sequence. Records indicate that the pilot had been involved in a similar accident four years prior, which involved descending below the glidepath during an ILD approach into trees under low-visibility conditions. The primary factor in the crash was the uncontrolled descent into terrain during the missed approach procedure.