Background
The pilot was conducting a cable patrol flight and landed at Sullivan, Indiana, to refuel before beginning a night flight to reposition the aircraft at Lafayette, Indiana.
Accident Sequence
The pilot departed Sullivan in clear weather conditions. While arriving at Lafayette, he advised the tower controller, "it looks like I got on top of a little cloud deck here." The tower controller reported that the airport weather consisted of a 1,200-foot broken ceiling, 2,600-foot overcast ceiling, visibility of 7 miles, and light rain. The pilot requested a radar vector to the airport. As the tower controller was coordinating with approach control to identify the aircraft's position, communication with the aircraft was lost.
Search and Accident Findings
A search was initiated. The aircraft was found to have crashed in a steep nose-down, left-wing-low attitude. During the investigation, no preimpact mechanical problems were discovered. Evidence indicated that the engine was providing power at the time of impact.