What happened
A flight traveling from Cleveland toward Fort Myers, with a scheduled stop at Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina, ended in a fatal accident during the arrival phase. While attempting to land, the pilot encountered significant visibility restrictions caused by fog and operated under a special VFR clearance. During the final approach, the pilot was unable to identify the runway markings or airport environment. In an attempt to execute a go-around, the aircraft type struck the terrain approximately one mile before reaching the runway. The impact resulted in a post-crash fire that completely destroyed the plane. There were eight fatalities among the occupants.
Findings
Investigations into the crash identified several contributing environmental and operational factors:
- Weather conditions significantly deteriorated beyond what had been predicted in the forecast.
- The flight encountered low cloud ceilings, rain, and heavy fog.
- Improper IFR operation was a primary factor in the sequence of events.