What happened
The flight was a positioning leg operated by a crew consisting of two pilots and one stewardess, moving from Launceston to Melbourne. While on final approach to Essendon Airport, deteriorating weather conditions prompted air traffic control to close the facility to all traffic. Consequently, the VH-UZJ was instructed to divert to Mangalore Airport.
During the subsequent approach to Mangalore, the aircraft descended too low for the conditions. The plane struck the ground in a field and broke into two sections upon impact. All three members of the crew sustained injuries in the accident, and the airframe was declared a total loss.