Accident Overview
A scheduled revenue flight with one pilot and six passengers ended in a runway excursion and post-crash fire after the pilot attempted a go-around following an initial landing. The flight operated in instrument meteorological conditions. The pilot had reviewed weather before departure and planned an instrument landing system (ILS) approach. The operator prohibited approaches to runways shorter than 4,000 feet when the tailwind component was 5 knots or more. The destination runway was 498 feet shorter than that minimum.
Sequence of Events
The pilot consulted the automated weather observing system (AWOS) at least twice during the flight, as required before starting the approach and before crossing the final approach fix (FAF). Although he could not recall the exact timing of his checks, he stated that conditions were within airplane and company performance limits. A review of wind data at the time he accepted the approach showed the tailwind component was within limits. As the airplane neared the FAF, wind speed increased, and the tailwind component ranged between 1 and 7 knots.
The pilot reported a normal approach until a strong downdraft about 50 to 100 feet above ground level destabilized the approach. He immediately initiated a go-around; the airplane touched down briefly before becoming airborne again. He was unable to establish a positive rate of climb, and the airplane impacted trees off the end of the runway.
Airport surveillance video showed the airplane made a normal landing, touching down about 500 feet from the beginning of the runway in heavy rain. It rolled for approximately 21 seconds, then took off again. The aircraft entered a shallow climb, collided with trees, and caught fire. All seven occupants were seriously injured, and the airplane was destroyed.
Probable Cause
The probable cause was the pilot’s delayed decision to perform an aborted landing late in the landing roll with insufficient runway remaining. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to execute a go-around once the approach became unstabilized, per the operator’s procedures.