What happened
The last known radio communication occurred when air traffic control issued a clearance for the aircraft to descend to 5,000 feet mean sea level. The pilot acknowledged this instruction by responding with the call sign "Two Romeo Delta." At the time of the incident, cloud tops were reported to be near the 5,000-foot altitude level.
The aircraft subsequently impacted the ground in a high-speed dive approximately 10 degrees past the vertical axis. The flight occurred under conditions that required instrument flying capabilities.
The investigation
Records indicate that the pilot received his commercial and instrument rating certificates on December 14, 1984. Investigators determined that this event was believed to be the pilot's first flight in actual instrument meteorological conditions following the issuance of his instrument rating.
Findings
The crash resulted in 1 fatal injury to the pilot. The primary contributing factor was the pilot's lack of experience in actual IMC, occurring during his initial flight under such conditions shortly after obtaining his instrument rating.