Vermillion County Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Danville, Illinois 61832
Monday, November 27, 2000 16:50 CST

The airplane was destroyed when it impacted the ground about 6 miles from the airport while on an ILS approach. The pilot was instrument rated. No logbook entry was found to indicate that the holding procedures requirements listed in FAR 61.57 (c) were performed. In addition, the pilot had only logged 1.3 hours of simulated instrument flight time and 0.9 hours of actual instrument flight time in the previous 6 months. No preexisting anomalies were found with respect to the accident airplane. Reported weather at the time of the accident was 500 foot overcast with 5 miles of visibility. Radar data along with voice transcripts show that the aircraft was given a right turn to a 180-degree heading to intercept the ILS 21 approach. The data shows that the aircraft turned left prior to intercepting the localizer course, and then proceeded through the localizer course before commencing a right turn to intercept the 209-degree approach bearing. The data indicates that when the aircraft was about 9.6 nautical miles from the localizer antenna, it was about 0.7 miles left of the localizer course. The aircraft altitude returns from the radar data indicate that the aircraft remained below the 3-degree glide slope path during the approach. The last radar return shows that the aircraft was about 400-feet below the standard 3-degree glide slope. The aircraft wreckage was located about 0.3 nautical miles and 196 degrees from the ILS outer marker antenna

The pilot's failure to maintain altitude/clearance during the instrument approach. Factors were the low ceilings, the pilot's failure to maintain proper alignment and glidepath during the approach, his lack of recent instrument experience, and his failure to perform the missed approach.