C550 CREW HITS TREES 4 MI FROM THE RWY END WHILE ON THE GPS APCH; AT NIGHT; IN IMC.

Narrative

JAN/XX/02; DEPARTED APPROX XA30Z PART 91 ENRTE TO ZZZ WHERE THE ACFT IS BASED. I WAS THE PNF (COPLT); NO PAX. ZNY TURNED US OVER TO ELM APCH. WE REQUESTED THE GPS APCH TO RWY 1 AT ZZZ AND COULD WE PROCEED DIRECT TO IAF. WE WERE CLRED FOR THE GPS APCH RWY 1. REACHING XA WE COMPLETED THE PROC TURN; THE INBOUND COURSE XYX. PASSING XA INBOUND; WE DSNDED TO 2700 FT TO FAF THEN DSNDED TO 2000 FT. AT 2000 FT I RPTED SEEING LIGHTS ON THE GND. WE WERE TO MAINTAIN 2000 FT UNTIL REACHING 3 NM POINT FROM THE RWY. BY THIS TIME WE WERE ABOUT 4 NM FROM THE RWY. SO I STAYED OUTSIDE LOOKING FOR THE RWY LIGHTS; WHEN I HEARD SOMETHING HIT THE ACFT. I LOOKED AT THE ALTIMETER -- IT WAS INDICATING 1500 FT. I TOLD THE PF TO CHK ALT. BY THIS TIME THE RWY WAS IN SIGHT. EVERYTHING INDICATED NORMAL AND A NORMAL LNDG WAS MADE. WX 33/7 6 BROKEN; 11 OVCST; 6V11 6 MI VISIBILITY; ALTIMETER 29.75. I THINK THE PROB HERE WAS WHEN I RPTED GND CONTACT; THE PF MAY HAVE TRIED TO FLY VISUAL TO THE RWY. IF HE HAD STAYED ON THE INSTS UNTIL I RPTED RWY IN SIGHT; THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. UPON INSPECTION OF THE ACFT; IT WAS FOUND TO HAVE A SOFTBALL SIZE DENT IN THE L WING ABOUT 8 FT FROM THE WINGTIP AND SMALL BRANCHES AROUND THE LNDG GEAR AREA.