What happened
The pilot departed Kendallville, Indiana, around 1800 EST and made a refueling stop at Topeka, Kansas. During this stop, he obtained a weather briefing for his intended flight to Pueblo, Colorado. The briefer advised him of marginal VFR to IFR conditions along the proposed route. When asked about the forecast for the following day, he was told it would be marginal VFR to VFR after 1500 hours on March 31, 1984. At that time, the pilot indicated he would "just sit on it." However, he proceeded with the flight.
Later in the journey, the pilot contacted Salina Radio and obtained current and forecast weather for both Salina and Pueblo, which remained marginal VFR to IFR. After this contact, there was no further radio communication with air traffic control. On April 2, 1984, the aircraft was discovered approximately 1-1/2 miles southeast of Garden City Municipal Airport.
The investigation
An examination of the wreckage revealed that the aircraft had crashed on a heading of approximately 120 degrees with the landing gear extended. Impact occurred on level terrain while the aircraft was in a right bank. No preimpact failures or malfunctions were found. The weather at Garden City at 0030 CST included an obscured ceiling at 200 feet, 1 mile visibility with light snow, temperature and dew point of 33/31 degrees, and wind from 110 degrees at 8 knots.
Findings
The pilot received multiple weather briefings indicating marginal VFR to IFR conditions along the route. Despite being advised of these conditions and later confirming them via radio contact, he continued the flight. The aircraft was found in poor weather conditions consistent with those previously reported.