What happened
The aircraft departed from Baytown, Texas, at 22:15 local time. At 23:34, both radar and radio contact with the flight were lost. Throughout the flight, the pilot did not indicate any difficulties or issues to air traffic control. When radar contact was lost, the radar return entered a coast mode for eight sweeps, lasting approximately 38 seconds. This coast mode can be triggered by a rapid rate of descent exceeding 500 feet per minute.
The aircraft subsequently collided with the ground in a high-speed dive and totally disintegrated. The impact created a crater seven feet deep, and debris was scattered for 100 yards. The engines were recovered at a depth of 14 feet within the crater.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and maintenance history to determine the cause of the accident. On August 1, 1983, the pilot-owner had experienced a total electrical failure in this aircraft while en route from California to Dallas, Texas. At that time, the battery cables were found to be corroded and loose. These components were cleaned and tightened, and no further records of electrical maintenance were noted for the aircraft.
After the accident, the tail light bulb was sent to the NTSB laboratory for analysis to determine if it was illuminated at the moment of impact. The findings indicated that the bulb was not illuminated at impact. Additionally, there are no provisions for an emergency lighting system in this specific aircraft model.