What happened
The flight originated from a local reliever airport situated 35 miles south of its intended destination. Operating under instrument flight rules (IFR), the aircraft was cleared to intercept the ILS approach for runway 36R after departing from runway 32. At the time of the flight, the area was experiencing instrument meteorological conditions, characterized by a broken cloud layer at 900 feet and a scattered layer beneath it, with visibility measured at 8 miles.
During the approach, the flight failed to maintain a stable inbound course or glide slope. Upon reaching the runway visually at approximately 3 miles from the field, the aircraft performed a dive toward the runway. This resulted in a touchdown while the landing gear remained in the retracted position. During this contact, the left propeller sustained more significant damage than the right propeller. Following the initial contact, the crew attempted a go-around maneuver; however, after pitching up, the aircraft entered a steep, descending left turn that proceeded until the aircraft struck the ground.
Findings
- The aircraft failed to establish a stabilized approach on the prescribed glide slope and course.
- The aircraft impacted the ground following a steep, descending left turn during a failed go-around attempt.