Incident Overview
At 0455 EST, a witness heard the aircraft pass over King Island aerodrome and observed the pilot-activated runway 10/28 lights illuminate. The pilot informed Melbourne Control of an intention to conduct a runway 10 non-directional beacon (NDB) approach. Shortly after, the pilot broadcast that the aircraft was at the minimum descent altitude of 640 feet above mean sea level (AMSL) for that approach, and also reported complete cloud cover.
Sequence of Events
Instead of initiating a missed approach, the aircraft was heard flying south-east from overhead the NDB, which is situated 1.3 km south-south-west of the runway 10/28 center. A second witness, located near the NDB site, observed the aircraft's lights heading south-east. At 0507, a farmer heard the aircraft pass low over his residence, and moments later it struck trees 3.5 km south-east of the aerodrome. First responders reached the crash site at approximately 0530 and found that the pilot had not survived.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the pilot continued a visual approach in conditions that prevented him from maintaining adequate visual clearance from the ground or obstacles and that made visual judgment of the approach difficult. Additionally, the pilot probably did not recognize that the conditions were not suitable for a visual approach.