Northeast Flight 285 departed Martha’s Vineyard for a flight to New Bedford at 20:19. After 19 minutes the crew contacted New Bedford at the start of the descent out of 4000 feet. The controller then passed on weather information to the crew: indefinite 200, obscuration; visibility 1 mile; fog; wind southeast 3; altimeter 30.02. The flight was immediately cleared for a straight in approach and landing at runway 05. Last radio contact was when the crew reported inbound over the outer marker. The DC-3 struck 2 45-50 feet high trees, some 4000 feet short of the runway. The right wing separated on impact, causing the aircraft to roll to the right, cutting a swath through a dense growth of trees until the stub right wing dug into the soft swamp floor. The aircraft cartwheeled until the left engine struck a large tree stump, causing the fuselage to break in two. The wreckage came to rest 600 feet past the point of initial contact with the trees. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The pilot attempted to make a visual approach by descending prematurely in the approach area without adherence to the prescribed ILS approach procedure which was dictated by existing weather conditions.”