What happened
During the final stages of the approach, the flight crew utilized autopilot to descend to approximately 700 feet above the ground. As the aircraft approached the landing threshold, the crew noted they were positioned 1 nautical mile from the runway and roughly 300 feet away from the established centerline. At this time, the visual glideslope indicator was not functioning, and light, dry snow had obscured the visibility of the runway markings.
Upon touchdown, the aircraft type impacted the runway surface with significant force on an unusable section of the pavement, approximately 800 feet before the threshold. This hard landing resulted in a failure of the left main landing gear tire. The resulting impact caused the propeller to strike the runway surface, leading the aircraft to veer off the side of the runway. The excursion caused substantial damage to the left wing.
Findings
Investigation into the incident revealed that the crew encountered difficult visual conditions caused by snow. There were no reported mechanical malfunctions or pre-existing failures that would have prevented the aircraft from operating normally. The primary factor in the excursion was the impact on an unusable portion of the runway following the loss of visual runway alignment.