Accident Summary
An airplane collided with frozen pack ice approximately three miles from the airport while conducting a GPS instrument approach. At the time of the accident, instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, with reported visibility of three-quarters of a mile in snow and fog.
Pilot Statement
The pilot reported that he began a steep descent with the autopilot engaged. As the airplane crossed the final approach course, the autopilot turned the aircraft inbound toward the airport. He continued the steep descent, but noticed the airplane had overshot the course and the autopilot was not correcting effectively. The pilot then disengaged the autopilot and manually increased the correction heading to intercept the final approach course. During the descent, he completed the landing checklist, extended the landing gear and flaps, and was tuning both communications and navigation radios. The pilot stated that he looked up from tuning the radios to see the sea ice approaching too quickly to react, leading to impact with terrain. He reported that there were no pre-accident anomalies with the airplane and that he 'did not stay ahead of the airplane.'
Probable Cause
The official probable cause was the pilot's descent below the minimum descent altitude. Factors associated with the accident were the task overload of the pilot during the instrument approach and not performing a level-off.