During an attempted Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach to Runway 36, the aircraft struck trees and crashed approximately two miles short of the runway. All five occupants were injured, with two sustaining serious injuries. The pilot, who was seriously injured, could not remember the accident but recalled receiving a wind shear alert. The investigation noted an intermittent issue with the autopilot heading mode, but no other preimpact malfunction or failure of the aircraft was evident.
Weather and Environmental Conditions
Witnesses observed that weather conditions were changing from minute to minute as the aircraft arrived. The wind was from east to northeast at 10 to 15 knots. Rainfall intensity varied from strong to periods of light rain, and the cloud ceiling was variable. The official findings listed light condition as dusk, and weather conditions included low ceiling, fog, rain, unfavorable wind, and wind shear.
Accident Sequence
The pilot began an ILS approach to Runway 36. Before reaching the airport, the aircraft collided with trees and crashed about 2 miles short of the runway. The pilot was seriously injured and could not recall the accident, but reported receiving a wind shear alert. The incident involved two occurrences: first, an in-flight collision with an object during the approach phase (FAF/outer marker to threshold under IFR); second, an in-flight collision with terrain/water during an uncontrolled descent.
Probable Cause and Findings
The official probable cause was collision with trees and terrain due to the pilot exceeding the approach minimum altitude during the ILS approach. Contributing findings included: the pilot not following IFR procedures, not using the decision height, and the presence of low ceiling, fog, rain, unfavorable wind, and wind shear. The light condition was dusk.