What happened
During a scheduled cargo operation conducted at night, an aircraft was performing an ILS Runway 6L approach under instrument meteorological conditions. The pilot had established on the localizer and received updated runway visual range (RVR) information from the control tower, noting 1,800 feet for touchdown/mid-point and 1,600 feet for roll-out. Instructions were also provided to execute a right turn after exiting the runway.
Radar tracking showed the aircraft at an altitude of 1,200 feet MSL with a ground speed of 130 knots before communication ceased. The aircraft subsequently struck trees and ended up inverted on airport grounds, approximately 0.5 miles from the runway at a bearing of 053 degrees. At the time of the event, local weather observations indicated fog with visibility as low as 1/8 mile and a vertical visibility of only 100 feet. Winds were recorded at 9 knots from 140 degrees.
Findings
Post-accident inspections of the aircraft revealed no evidence of mechanical failure prior to the impact. The pilot possessed approximately 3,800 total flight hours, with 350 hours in this specific aircraft type and 250 hours of instrument experience. The investigation determined that the pilot failed to maintain the required altitude during the approach, leading to the collision with trees. Contributing environmental factors included the presence of fog and low cloud ceilings.