Accident Details
On March 17, 1982, a weather briefer advised the pilot of N8988P that all of Texas would be under instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) on the morning of March 18, 1982. There was no record of a flight plan filed by the pilot, and the departure time from Kingsville could not be determined.
The aircraft wreckage was found the next morning approximately 1.5 miles southeast of the airport in a plowed field.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The aircraft, registered as N8988P, was involved in the accident. The pilot had logged a total of 2.6 hours of instrument flight in the six months prior to the accident.
Examination Findings
Examination of the vacuum-driven attitude gyro after the accident revealed evidence of preimpact malfunction. Testing showed that the gyro would not erect properly due to dirty spindle bearings. No other preimpact malfunctions or failures were found.
Conclusion
The investigation did not establish a probable cause for the accident. The only identified issue was the malfunctioning attitude gyro, but no causal link was stated in the source.