What happened
On the evening of March 13, 1986, a scheduled Simmons Airlines flight, operating an Embraer EMB-110P1, departed from Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The flight was destined for Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, with a planned intermediate stop at Alpena, Michigan.
The initial segment of the journey proceeded without incident. However, upon approaching Alpena, the crew encountered instrument meteorological conditions that prevented them from completing the instrument landing system (ILS) approach. A missed approach was officially declared at 21:42. Following this, the aircraft was authorized to attempt a second ILS approach at 21:53.
The final communication from the aircraft occurred at 21:56, when the crew acknowledged the termination of radar services. Shortly thereafter, an unidentified motorist reported seeing a crash in a nearby wooded area. Investigators located the wreckage approximately 1.5 miles before the threshold of runway 01, positioned roughly 300 feet left of the extended centerline. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft and caused three fatalities, including two passengers and one crewmember, out of the seven passengers and two crewmembers on board.
Findings
The investigation concluded that the primary reason for the accident was that the flightcrew continued descending below the glideslope and decision height without establishing visual contact with the runway. Additionally, the process for distributing weather-related updates to the crew was found to be inefficient.