What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
According to air traffic control information , the flight departed morristown municipal airport (mmu), morristown, new jersey, at 1016 destined for Hancock county / bar Harbor airport (bhb), bar Harbor, Maine. ATC services were provided by bangor atct-tracon. A previous arrival into bar Harbor had gone missed and that information was provided to the accident pilot with a caveat that it was about an hour old. The pilot advised he would try bar Harbor and if going missed he would divert to bangor. The controller asked the pilot if he was in receipt of NOTAMS and wx for bar Harbor and the pilot advised yes. Pilot was vectored for the ILS RWY22 at kbhb and subsequently cleared for the approach. Pilot was switched to CTAF at 1621 UTC and advised to cancel on the ground. When pilot was was about 3 miles from the airport he attempted to contact CTAF and advise he was inbound, howerver he made the transmission on bangor tracon's frequency. Pilot switched to the correct frequency and continued the approach.
An FAA tech ops employee , who was working on the runway lighting at bhb, stated he was troubleshooting the medium approach light system when he heard an airplane approaching for landing. He heard the airplane’s engine noise go to full power and when he looked up at the airplane, he noticed that it was in a sharp left turn before it descended to ground impact. He further described that the weather conditions were “brutal” and that he could barely see the airplane at 100 yards away due to the thick fog.
Video recorded from a moving car showed the airplane appearing from heavy fog about 40FT above the approach end of runway 22 in a steep, descending turn before impacting the ground. The recorded weather conditions at bhb, at 1156, included a visibility of 1.5 miles in light rain and mist, and overcast ceiling at 300 ft.
The wreckage was located about 600 ft to the left side of the approach end of runway 22. The airplane came to rest in a wooded area, and was oriented on a magnetic heading of 040°. The airframe was largely consumed by a post-impact fire. All major components of the airplane were accounted for within the compact wreckage area.
As the FAA filed it
ACCORDING TO AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL INFORMATION , THE FLIGHT DEPARTED MORRISTOWN MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (MMU), MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY, AT 1016 DESTINED FOR HANCOCK COUNTY / BAR HARBOR AIRPORT (BHB), BAR HARBOR, MAINE. ATC SERVICES WERE PROVIDED BY BANGOR ATCT-TRACON. A PREVIOUS ARRIVAL INTO BAR HARBOR HAD GONE MISSED AND THAT INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED TO THE ACCIDENT PILOT WITH A CAVEAT THAT IT WAS ABOUT AN HOUR OLD. THE PILOT ADVISED HE WOULD TRY BAR HARBOR AND IF GOING MISSED HE WOULD DIVERT TO BANGOR. THE CONTROLLER ASKED THE PILOT IF HE WAS IN RECEIPT OF NOTAMS AND WX FOR BAR HARBOR AND THE PILOT ADVISED YES. PILOT WAS VECTORED FOR THE ILS RWY22 AT KBHB AND SUBSEQUENTLY CLEARED FOR THE APPROACH. PILOT WAS SWITCHED TO CTAF AT 1621 UTC AND ADVISED TO CANCEL ON THE GROUND. WHEN PILOT WAS WAS ABOUT 3 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT HE ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT CTAF AND ADVISE HE WAS INBOUND, HOWERVER HE MADE THE TRANSMISSION ON BANGOR TRACON'S FREQUENCY. PILOT SWITCHED TO THE CORRECT FREQUENCY AND CONTINUED THE APPROACH.
AN FAA TECH OPS EMPLOYEE , WHO WAS WORKING ON THE RUNWAY LIGHTING AT BHB, STATED HE WAS TROUBLESHOOTING THE MEDIUM APPROACH LIGHT SYSTEM WHEN HE HEARD AN AIRPLANE APPROACHING FOR LANDING. HE HEARD THE AIRPLANE’S ENGINE NOISE GO TO FULL POWER AND WHEN HE LOOKED UP AT THE AIRPLANE, HE NOTICED THAT IT WAS IN A SHARP LEFT TURN BEFORE IT DESCENDED TO GROUND IMPACT. HE FURTHER DESCRIBED THAT THE WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE “BRUTAL” AND THAT HE COULD BARELY SEE THE AIRPLANE AT 100 YARDS AWAY DUE TO THE THICK FOG.
VIDEO RECORDED FROM A MOVING CAR SHOWED THE AIRPLANE APPEARING FROM HEAVY FOG ABOUT 40FT ABOVE THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 22 IN A STEEP, DESCENDING TURN BEFORE IMPACTING THE GROUND. THE RECORDED WEATHER CONDITIONS AT BHB, AT 1156, INCLUDED A VISIBILITY OF 1.5 MILES IN LIGHT RAIN AND MIST, AND OVERCAST CEILING AT 300 FT.
THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED ABOUT 600 FT TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 22. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST IN A WOODED AREA, AND WAS ORIENTED ON A MAGNETIC HEADING OF 040°. THE AIRFRAME WAS LARGELY CONSUMED BY A POST-IMPACT FIRE. ALL MAJOR COMPONENTS OF THE AIRPLANE WERE ACCOUNTED FOR WITHIN THE COMPACT WRECKAGE AREA.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.