What happened
During an instrument landing system (ILS) approach, an aircraft impacted the ground roughly 3.7 miles from its intended destination airport. Radar tracking indicated that the aircraft was traveling in a northerly direction before initiating a left turn to align with the 298-degree magnetic inbound course. The aircraft's descent was monitored via radar, showing a reduction in pressure altitude from 4,000 feet down to 2,800 feet, which served as the final recorded altitude return. The last radar contact occurred before the aircraft reached the outer marker of the approach.
Following the descent, the wreckage was distributed along a path oriented at a magnetic heading of approximately 145 degrees. The impact resulted in the destruction of the aircraft due to fire and the force of the collision. No further communications were established with the crew after air traffic controllers instructed them to switch to the destination airport's advisory frequency.
Findings
Environmental conditions at the time of the accident included a 100-foot overcast ceiling and visibility of only one statute mile, as reported by the local automated weather station. This information was accessible to the pilot via the Automated Weather Observing System. An examination of the airframe, engines, and gyroscopic instruments at the crash site revealed no mechanical failures or pre-existing conditions. The investigation noted that the minimum descent altitude for this specific approach is 243 feet above ground level.