Incident Overview
During a night arrival, the pilot reported that he could conduct a visual approach to the destination airport. At 2341:37 Central Daylight Time, an air route traffic control center (ARTCC) controller informed the pilot that the destination airport was straight ahead at 12 miles and requested a report when the airport was in sight. At 2343:30, the pilot reported the runway in sight, and the controller cleared him for a visual approach.
Final Moments
The final portions of the flight were below the altitude for radar coverage. Subsequently, the aircraft crashed in a wooded area at a location and on a heading that would approximate a left base leg for Runway 35. However, initial impact was with trees while the aircraft was in a steep right bank.
Investigation Findings
No preimpact part failure or malfunction was found during the investigation. Although official reports from weather stations in the area showed the weather was above visual flight rules (VFR) minimums, personnel in the area of the accident site reported that the sky condition was obscured with fog.