Flight Initiation
At approximately 1605 Central Daylight Time, the pilot activated a VFR flight plan from Nashville, Tennessee, to Venice, Florida. The last known radio communication occurred at 1813, when the pilot contacted Tallahassee Flight Service Station and received a weather briefing for the route to Sarasota, Florida.
Radar Observations
A radar controller at Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center observed a track along Airway V-97 that matched the pilot's intended route. However, the pilot was not in radio contact with Jacksonville Center. Later, a computer readout of the radar data revealed that the flight path and altitude of the assumed aircraft became erratic as it continued over the Gulf of Mexico.
Disappearance
The aircraft continued to the vicinity of Licks intersection, where it disappeared from radar in an area of thunderstorm activity. The Civil Air Patrol initiated a search that continued until July 11, 1982, with negative results. The aircraft was presumed to have been destroyed and the occupants presumed deceased.