What happened
During a night flight, the aircraft encountered rapidly worsening weather at its destination. Initially, conditions were clear with 10 statute miles of visibility, but a thick fog moved in, reducing the ceiling to 300 feet and visibility to 3/4 of a mile. Shortly thereafter, visibility dropped further to approximately 1/2 mile. The flight was cleared for an RNAV (GPS) Runway 18 instrument approach, which required a minimum visibility of 7/8 of a mile.
During the initial attempt, the pilot initiated a missed approach due to the weather. While attempting a second instrument approach, the aircraft failed to maintain a stabilized approach, characterized by excessive airspeed and a high rate of descent. The aircraft subsequently descended below the required decision altitude without the pilot establishing necessary visual references, resulting in a collision with terrain approximately 810 feet before the runway threshold. The accident resulted in two fatalities.
Findings
Post-accident inspections of the aircraft type/model and its engines showed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have prevented the plane from operating normally. The investigation identified the unstable approach as a critical factor in the descent below decision altitude.
Regarding toxicology, the pilot showed trace amounts of ethanol that were likely not significant enough to impair performance. While the copilot exhibited high ethanol levels, investigators could not definitively determine if alcohol consumption caused impairment, as decomposition and other factors may have influenced the results. It was noted, however, that alcohol-related impairment in the copilot might have limited their ability to assist in monitoring the approach.