Accident
On the day of the accident, a twin-engine airplane departed Nausori Airport Runway 10 at 0946 local time on a flight to Bua, carrying one pilot and eight passengers. Approaching the destination, weather conditions deteriorated. While cruising in poor visibility at an altitude of 1,450 feet, the aircraft impacted hilly, wooded terrain approximately 10 kilometers northeast of Bua, at coordinates 16° 49' 21" S and 178° 42' 45" E. The wreckage, which was burnt, was located two days later. All nine occupants sustained fatal injuries.
Probable Cause
According to the official investigation, the accident was caused by the pilot in command continuing the flight into conditions where he lost visual reference with the surface, resulting in the aircraft colliding with the terrain. Although the weather in the vicinity of Bua at the time was apparently worse than forecast, the inaccuracy of the forecast was not considered a major factor, as the pilot could have elected to return to Nausori either under visual flight rules (VFR) or instrument flight rules (IFR). The pilot failed to comply with VFR requirements by continuing the flight without visual reference to the surface.