What happened
The flight originated from Lincoln Park, New York, departing at 1858 EDT. Before takeoff, the pilot contacted Millville Flight Service Station four times to obtain weather information. The original destination listed on the instrument flight rules plan was Easton, Maryland. However, en route conditions prompted a diversion to Salisbury, Maryland.
Upon arrival in the Salisbury area, air traffic control cleared the aircraft for the runway 32 instrument landing system approach. Instead of turning southeast as required by the procedure, the pilot turned northwest after passing the VOR station. The aircraft descended to an altitude between 700 and 900 feet mean sea level while heading away from the airport.
After being reoriented, the pilot was instructed to report when inbound at the COLBE localizer outer marker. Instead of reporting at that specific fix, the pilot claimed to be over the Salisbury VOR while continuing the approach. The flight concluded with a statement that the aircraft was circling to land. Shortly thereafter, N81752 collided with trees on a northwest heading, located off the approach end of runway 32.
The pilot had received his instrument rating only three months prior to the accident. At that time, he had logged 34 instrument hours and 21 night hours. A post-crash fire destroyed most of the fuselage.
The investigation
Examination of the aircraft and engine components did not reveal any mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have affected normal operation. The cause of the crash was attributed to pilot error during the approach phase.