What happened
On November 12, 1999, a Beech C90A departed Melle-Grönegau, Germany, for a private IFR flight to Poznan, Poland. The aircraft was carrying two crew members and four passengers. Prior to departure, the pilot-in-command obtained a weather briefing in Berlin, which indicated a 30% probability of fog with visibility as low as 800 meters, though horizontal visibility was otherwise expected to be 7 km.
During the approach to Poznan, the aircraft was operating at flight level 70. Air traffic control initially reported visibility of 700 meters and an RVR of 650 meters. As the aircraft progressed through the outer marker on the ILS approach to runway 29, the tower reported that visibility had dropped to 350 meters and subsequently updated the RVR to 300 meters due to developing fog.
Upon reaching the decision height of 500 feet MSL, the crew was unable to establish visual contact with the approach or runway lighting. The pilot decided to execute an immediate go-around. During this maneuver, the aircraft lost lift and sank, impacting the ground to the right of the runway. The aircraft slid approximately 150 meters before coming to a halt. There were no injuries among the six occupants.
The investigation
The investigation was conducted by the Polish authorities, with the resulting English-language report provided to the BFU. The investigation focused on the aircraft's flight path during the transition from instrument conditions to the missed approach.
Findings
- The aircraft entered an uncontrolled flight attitude at low altitude while operating under instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) during the go-around.
- Significant damage was sustained by the Beech C90A, including the loss of all three landing gear legs, destruction of both propellers, damage to the engine cowlings, and damage to the left wing and lower fuselage.