Accident Overview
A private pilot, who was not instrument rated, was conducting a night cross-country flight. The weather conditions were reported as marginal visual flight rules (VFR) transitioning to instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). During the flight, the pilot indicated that he had entered IMC and intended to climb out of the conditions. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft impacted terrain in an 80-degree nose-down attitude while in a left spiral.
Flight History
Radar data showed that the aircraft initiated a climbing left turn before entering a left spiraling descent. The pilot's last instrument flight practice occurred three years prior to the accident.
Investigation Findings
Examination of the aircraft's attitude indicator revealed that its gyro had failed and was not rotating at operational speed at the time of impact. The vacuum pump and the horizontal situation indicator (HSI) gyro were found to be operating normally. No internal failure was identified within the attitude indicator; the reason for its failure could not be determined due to the extent of damage sustained in the firewall and instrument panel areas.