Burnet Muni Kate Craddock Fld Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Burnet, Texas 78611
Sunday, January 14, 2001 20:45 CST

According to the instrument rated commercial pilot, he flew under the hood for a flight in simulated instrument conditions, during dark night light conditions. His passenger, who held a private pilot certificate and was not instrument rated, was the designated safety pilot. When the flight neared the destination airport, the pilot remained flying under the hood and began to execute a GPS instrument approach. He reported that he passed over the initial approach fix, at 4,000 feet and initiated a 500 fpm descent at 140 knots. He added that the flight crossed the final approach fix, at 2,600 feet, and he then extended the flaps and lowered the landing gear. Approximately 15 seconds had elapsed when the airplane contacted trees and impacted the ground. The passenger reported that as the airplane crossed the final approach fix he had the runway in sight. However, he then lost sight of the runway and was about to tell the pilot to "pull up," when the impact occurred. The airplane collided with trees at an elevation of 1,199 feet approximately 1.21 miles past the final approach fix and 2.79 miles prior to reaching the missed approach point. Radar data revealed that the aircraft's altitude was 3,500 feet over the initial approach fix, and 2,200 feet approximately 1.02 nautical miles prior to reaching the final approach fix. According to the GPS instrument approach plate, the minimum altitude at the final approach fix, was 2,600 feet and the minimum descent altitude for a straight in approach was 1,660 feet.

the pilot's failure to maintain proper glide path during a practice instrument approach, which resulted in an in-flight collision with terrain. Contributory factors to the accident were the dark night light condition and the safety pilot's inadequate monitoring of the practice approach.