What happened
During a scheduled cargo operation under Part 135 regulations, a pilot was performing landing maneuvers at a remote airstrip. The runway in question features an approach end situated adjacent to a river embankment. After completing three unsuccessful passes over the runway, the pilot initiated a fourth landing attempt.
While maintaining an airspeed of 80 knots during this final approach, the nose of the aircraft suddenly descended. The pilot responded by applying maximum power in an attempt to recover the pitch and raise the nose; however, the aircraft struck the river embankment, resulting in structural damage to the plane.
Witness accounts provided to the operator's director of operations indicated that while the area had previously been under good visual flight rules (VFR) conditions, a sudden influx of rain and mist had reduced visibility to approximately 0.25 miles during the incident. The pilot's own report to federal investigators described the weather as having a 500-foot ceiling and 2 miles of visibility. Notably, weather conditions returned to VFR status within 30 minutes following the impact.
Findings
- The aircraft sustained structural damage following the impact with the terrain.
- A sudden loss of pitch control or nose drop occurred during the final approach.
- Local visibility was significantly reduced by intermittent rain and mist during the landing sequence.