Accident
After departure from Alotau Airport, the pilot followed the published departure procedure for approximately 17 kilometers before initiating a left turn toward the northwest, remaining below the clouds. Subsequently, the aircraft entered cloud cover. Less than two minutes later, it collided with a mountainside located about 25 kilometers from Alotau. The aircraft was destroyed, and all six occupants were killed.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the accident was a controlled flight into terrain resulting from the pilot flying under visual flight rules (VFR) in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).