Accident Overview
An aircraft conducting an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 27 at night in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) collided with a mountain 12 nautical miles east-southeast of the airport. The accident occurred while the aircraft was turning inbound to intercept the localizer course. All three occupants were killed.
Navigation Equipment Configuration
Investigation into the navigation equipment revealed that one VOR receiver was set to the destination ILS frequency, the second VOR receiver was set to an en route VOR located 51 nautical miles west of the destination airport, and the separate DME transceiver was set to the destination DME transmitter. The frequencies of the en route VOR and the destination VOR were 117.1 MHz and 117.7 MHz, respectively. The outbound course for the ILS approach procedure was 088°, and the accident site was located on the 088 radial of the en route VOR.
Cockpit Seating and Instrument Layout
The pilot in command (PIC) was occupying the right front seat, while an experienced pilot who was not current in this aircraft was occupying the left seat. The control head for the second VOR receiver was located in the lower right portion of the instrument panel, in a position where the selected frequency was difficult to read.
Probable Cause
According to the official findings, the probable cause of the accident was an in-flight collision with terrain/water during the approach phase (from IAF to FAF/outer marker). Contributing factors included: (1) mountainous/hilly terrain, (2) dark night lighting conditions, (3) improper IFR procedure by the pilot in command, and (4) improper use of the navigation receiver by the pilot in command.