What happened
Shortly after departing at night, the aircraft entered a dense fog bank. The pilot reported that he was executing a turn to reverse his direction and descending to avoid entering instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). However, before the maneuver could be completed, the pilot lost all outside visual references due to the IMC.
With no external cues remaining, the pilot leveled the wings and pulled back on the control yoke just prior to ground contact. The flight was conducted under private privileges, and the pilot was not instrument rated at the time of the accident.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's account of the encounter with fog and the subsequent loss of visual reference. No mechanical anomalies were identified that would have precluded normal operation of the aircraft prior to impact.
Findings
The primary factor in this accident was the pilot's decision to continue flight into deteriorating weather conditions without the necessary instrument rating. The lack of instrument training contributed to the inability to maintain spatial orientation when visual references were lost.