Accident Details
On approach to Boyne Falls Airport, the pilot was unable to locate the runway and decided to divert to the alternate airport of Pellston-Emmet County. While on final approach, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions with fog and visibility reduced to 3/8 of a mile. In a 200-foot ceiling, the pilot failed to realize his altitude was too low, and the brand new twin-engine airplane struck trees and crashed two miles short of runway 32. The aircraft was destroyed, and all three occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, visibility was below minimums.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined the probable cause to be a collision with trees during a missed approach due to improper IFR operation. Contributing factors included inadequate preflight preparation, low ceiling, fog, visibility half a mile or less, and an alternate forecast below minimums.