The Incident
During a night arrival, the pilot reported that he had the airport in sight and canceled his IFR flight plan. A witness observed the lights of the aircraft as it circled the destination airport. The witness reported that the aircraft turned left to a southerly heading, and shortly thereafter, he saw a flash of light.
Witness Observations
The witness then went to the airport and observed that the airport lighting was on. He also noted that there was no ground fog and that he could see stars overhead. A search was initiated, but the aircraft was not found until 0950 EST the next morning.
Wreckage and Weather
The aircraft had collided with trees about 3000 feet southwest of the west end of runway 9/27, then crashed and burned. Initial impact was with a 70-foot tree at an elevation of about 690 feet MSL while the aircraft was on a southerly heading. The airport elevation is 670 feet MSL. No preimpact part failure or malfunction was found. Approximately 32 miles east at Pellston, Michigan, the 2150 EST weather was, in part: 5000 feet scattered, 10,000 feet broken, visibility 4 miles.