What happened
On 3 March 2007, a flight operated by Luftverkehr Friesland Brunzema und Partner KG departed Pärnu airport at 14:08 for a scheduled VFR flight to Ruhnu. The aircraft, carrying the pilot, two passengers, and 520 kg of cargo, was flying in uncontrolled airspace. Prior to departure, the pilot had monitored weather updates, noting cloud heights of approximately 600 ft in Kuressaare and 540 ft in Ruhnu.
During the initial phase of the flight at 1,500 ft, the crew observed clear visibility of the coastline and ice boundaries, with no signs of icing or cloud contact. As the aircraft approached the island from the northeast, the pilot intended to land on runway 32. To assess the runway condition and windsock, the pilot executed a low-altitude pass from east to west. During this maneuver, the aircraft descended at 150 ft/min using low power and partial flaps.
As the descent progressed, horizontal and vertical visibility decreased, resulting in the aircraft entering instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The pilot lost visual contact with the horizon and the ground while flying within the clouds. Upon emerging from the cloud layer at an altitude of approximately 100 to 120 ft, the pilot attempted to increase power to maintain safe airspeed and altitude. This action triggered a stall warning, and shortly thereafter, the lower fuselage struck treetops. The aircraft collided with the terrain at 14:36, 0.24 Nm northeast of the runway 32 threshold. Despite the impact, the pilot, two passengers, and no fatalities were reported, as all occupants escaped the wreckage without injury.
Findings
- The flight transitioned from VFR to IMC during the approach due to deteriorating visibility.
- The pilot's attempt to maintain altitude following a stall warning led to the impact with trees.