Background
The pilot of a multiengine airplane was flying two passengers at night under an instrument-flight-rules flight plan. One of the passengers had been on an organ recipient waiting list and was accompanied by his wife. A viable matched organ was available at a distant hospital, requiring the passenger to arrive on short notice for surgery the following morning.
Flight
All radio communications between the pilot, air traffic control (ATC), a flight service station (FSS), and a fixed-based operator (FBO) were routine. The pilot was aware of the weather at the destination airport and commented to ATC about 75 miles from the destination that the weather was "going up and down…like a real thin fog layer." Better weather conditions prevailed at nearby suitable airports, and the pilot mentioned one of those airports to ATC in case of diversion.
According to an employee at an FBO located at the destination airport, the pilot contacted him via radio to ask about current weather conditions. The employee replied that visibility was low due to fog and that he could not see the terminal lights from the FBO. The pilot then asked which of two alternate airports was closer; the employee stated he did not know. The employee then heard the pilot activate the runway lights and contact the local FSS.
About 5 miles from runway 29, just prior to the initial approach fix, the pilot radioed on the common traffic advisory frequency and reported a 5-mile final leg for runway 29. The FSS reported automated weather showing an indefinite ceiling of 100 feet vertical visibility and 1/4 mile visibility in fog. The pilot acknowledged the weather information. The weather was below the published minimum requirements for the instrument-landing-system (ILS) approach at the destination airport.
Approach and Impact
Radar data showed that the flight intercepted and tracked the localizer, then intercepted the glideslope about 1 minute later. There were a few radar targets without altitude data due to intermittent Mode C transponder returns. The last recorded radar target with altitude indicated the airplane was at 600 feet, on glideslope and heading for the approach; however, the three subsequent and final targets did not show altitude information. The last recorded radar target was about 1.4 miles from the runway threshold. The airplane flew below glideslope and impacted 100-foot-tall trees about 4,150 feet from the runway 29 threshold.
Investigation
On-ground facility checks and a postaccident flight check of the ILS runway 29 approach conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration did not reveal malfunctions with the ILS. The cabin and cockpit area, including the NAV/COMM/APP equipment, were consumed by a postimpact fire, precluding viable component testing. Detailed examination of the wreckage that was not consumed by fire did not reveal preimpact mechanical malfunctions.
Given that the pilot was aware of the weather conditions before and during the approach, it is possible that the pilot’s goal of expeditiously transporting a patient to a hospital for an organ transplant may have affected his decision to initiate and continue an instrument approach while the weather conditions were below the published minimum requirements for the approach.