What happened
During a night arrival, the pilot reported that he was capable of performing a visual approach. At 2al341:37 CDT, the ARTCC controller notified the pilot that the destination airport was located straight ahead at a distance of 12 miles and requested a report once the airport was in sight. At 2343:30, the pilot reported seeing the runway, and the controller subsequently cleared him for a visual approach.
The final stages of the flight occurred below the altitude required for radar coverage. The aircraft later crashed in a wooded area. While the location and heading of the crash site approximated a left base leg for runway 35, the initial impact was with trees while the aircraft was in a steep right bank.
Although official weather station reports indicated that conditions were above VFR minimums, personnel near the accident site reported that the sky condition was obscured by fog.
The investigation
The investigation found no evidence of any preimpact part failure or malfunction.