Incident
On approach to Toksook Bay Airport, the crew encountered whiteout conditions with fog and snow falls. While descending under visual flight rules (VFR), the crew failed to realize that the aircraft's altitude was too low. The airplane subsequently struck the ground and crashed in a snow-covered area short of the runway. Both crew members were injured, and the aircraft was destroyed.
Investigation
The investigation determined that the accident involved controlled flight into terrain on approach. The crew had continued VFR flight into adverse weather conditions. Several contributing factors were identified: misjudged altitude, a delayed initiation of a go-around, whiteout conditions, low ceiling, fog, visibility less than two miles, unavailability of weather reports for Toksook Bay, and wind gusting 20 knots.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause was controlled flight into terrain on approach after the crew continued VFR flight into adverse weather conditions. Contributing factors included misjudged altitude, delayed initiation of go-around, whiteout conditions, low ceiling, fog, visibility less than two miles, weather reports not available for Toksook Bay, and wind gusting 20 knots.