What happened
During an approach to runway 02 at Offenburg Airport, an aircraft encountered restricted visibility caused by low-lying cloud cover. While operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) despite being in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC), the crew did not maintain sufficient altitude. The aircraft type struck trees and crashed into hilly terrain situated approximately 7.2 km southeast of the runway 02 threshold, in the vicinity of Friesenheim.
The impact of the crash and a subsequent fire caused the total destruction of the aircraft. There were four fatalities among the occupants of the plane.
Findings
Investigations indicate that the crew was operating under VFR while encountering IMC, which led to a failure to recognize that the aircraft had descended below a safe altitude. The unawareness of the low altitude during the approach was a critical factor in the collision with the trees.