What happened
A scheduled passenger flight operated by an unnamed operator was traveling from Rockhampton to Mackay via several intermediate stops. After completing legs from Brisbane and Maryborough, the Fokker F-27 departed Rockhampton at 19:52. During the flight, the crew received weather updates indicating shallow ground fog near Mackay, which necessitated selecting Townsville as an alternate airport.
While cruising at 13,000 ft, the pilot was informed that Mackay Airport was closed to landings due to visibility conditions. The captain decided to maintain altitude and hold over the airport. At 20:45, air traffic control reported fluctuating visibility along the runway. The pilot noted that while airport lights and surrounding areas were visible, a fog bank was moving across the airfield.
The aircraft was cleared for a visual approach to runway 14. During the final approach, at roughly 50 feet above the threshold, the pilot reported encountering a sudden patch of fog. The aircraft subsequently flew along the runway at a low altitude before climbing away to attempt an approach on runway 32. After descending to 200 feet, the crew requested to hold at 5,000 ft until weather improved.
At approximately 22:02, following reports of rapidly improving conditions, the pilot initiated a descent for a visual approach to runway 32. After receiving landing instructions and wind information, the aircraft failed to make further contact. The Fokker F-27 struck the sea roughly 12 km from the runway threshold during its approach.
Findings
Investigators were unable to establish a definitive cause for the accident. There was no evidence of structural failure, fire, explosion, or any struggle on board the aircraft. The investigation noted that the accident occurred at night under conditions with minimal visual references. It was suggested that during the final minutes of flight, the pilot may have become unaware of the actual rate of descent, potentially due to inaccurate instrument readings or a reliance on visual cues instead of monitoring flight instruments.