Originally Posted by
Propellor Head
Why were they flying below the MSA in bad weather near known mountains - or was this an aircraft failure e.g. break up in flight?
We don't know the cause yet, but the area has mountains very close to the north side of the airport (open ocean to the south), and persistent clouds at this time of year. I assume that it had adequate inertial navigation and GPS, and was IMC rated. ILS calibration is vital to the ongoing operation of a commercial airport.