Incident Overview
A pilot operating under instrument flight rules (IFR) lost control of the aircraft while attempting to descend to an assigned altitude of 5000 feet. The aircraft had been in an excessive climb prior to the descent. During the subsequent uncontrolled descent, the airframe broke apart, starting with the empennage, due to high-speed structural overload.
Pilot Background and Experience
The pilot had recently received his instrument rating. His total unsupervised instrument flight time was approximately two-tenths of an hour, all of which was accumulated during this final flight.
Communications and Altitude Misunderstanding
Radio communications revealed that the pilot initially believed his assigned altitude was 6000 feet. Air traffic control (ATC) advised him of traffic at 6000 feet, prompting the pilot to acknowledge that he had filed for 6000 feet but stated he would descend to 5000 feet. This transmission was the last radio contact before radar contact was lost (coast mode).
Witness Observation
A witness reported seeing the aircraft fall out of the bottom of the overcast cloud layer.
Structural Failure
The aircraft broke apart during the uncontrolled descent. The failure sequence began with the empennage (tail section) separating from the rest of the airframe. The breakup was attributed to high-speed structural overload.