What happened
A flight operated by the Indian Health Service, part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, was traveling under visual flight rules from Devils Lake, North Dakota, toward Rolla, North Dakota. Upon reaching Rolla, the pilot attempted two visual approaches but was unable to complete them because of whiteout conditions caused by an active snowstorm. Following these attempts, the pilot received instrument flight rules clearance and redirected the aircraft to Minot.
While at Minot, the pilot performed two instrument landing system approaches to runway 31, initiating a missed approach after each attempt. Following the second missed approach, the aircraft ceased all radio communication. Approximately one hour later, wreckage was discovered by a snow plow operator located at the airport. The aircraft had struck the ground to the right of runway 31. The landing gear was in the retracted position, and the flaps were set to 15 degrees. The accident resulted in four fatalities.
Findings
An investigation into the crash determined that there were no mechanical issues with the engines or the airframe prior to the impact. At the time of the accident, weather conditions included visibility of one-half mile in variable snow, with a ceiling of 600 feet and winds from 110 degrees at 11 knots. The investigation identified whiteout conditions as a significant factor during the flight operations.