What happened
A private pilot, serving as a state fish and wildlife protection officer, was operating an aircraft approximately 14 NM from his home base. The pilot had departed from this base over eight hours prior to the accident. During the flight, the pilot encountered instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions while flying under visual flight rules (VFR).
In an attempt to execute a 180-degree turn to return to VFR conditions, the pilot lost control of the aircraft, resulting in a crash. The accident occurred approximately two hours before sunset. The pilot's private pilot certificate included a limitation prohibiting night flight. At the time of the accident, the aircraft was not equipped for instrument flight, and the pilot was not rated for such operations.
Findings
Investigation into the circumstances of the flight revealed that although weather briefings were available at the time of departure and throughout the enroute portion of the flight, no weather briefing was obtained by the pilot either before or during the flight.