What happened
At approximately 04:55 EST, an aircraft was observed passing the King Island aerodrome. During this time, the runway lights for runway 10/28 were activated by the pilot. The pilot communicated with Melbourne Control, indicating an intention to perform a non-directional beacon (NDB) approach for runway 10. As the flight progressed, the pilot notified controllers that the aircraft had reached the minimum descent altitude of 640 feet above mean sea level (AMSL). At this stage, the pilot also reported that the area was under complete cloud cover.
Following the descent to the minimum altitude, the aircraft did not initiate a missed approach. Instead, it was observed traveling in a south-easterly direction from the location of the NDB, which sits 1.3 km south-south-west of the center of runway 10/28. A witness near the NDB site also noted the aircraft's lights moving toward the south-east. At 05:07, a local resident reported the aircraft flying at a low altitude over a residence before it struck trees located 3.5 km south-east of the aerodrome. Emergency responders reached the wreckage at roughly 05:30. The accident resulted in one fatality.
Findings
- The aircraft was operating under complete cloud cover during the approach.
- The flight path deviated from the standard approach procedure toward the south-east after reaching the minimum descent altitude.