Weather Briefings
At 1101, during the pilot's initial weather briefing, he was advised that VFR flight through the mountains was not recommended until a cold front had passed. During a later briefing at 1331, he was informed that weather conditions were deteriorating south of Roanoke, Virginia, through his destination airport. Flight precautions were in effect for light to moderate rime icing from the freezing level of 8,500 feet to 12,500 feet.
Radar Observations
An unidentified aircraft was observed on radar circling at 8,500 feet, then descending to 5,500 feet. It then headed southwestbound adjacent to the final approach course for the ILS runway 23 at Tri-City Regional Airport. At 1810, the aircraft turned westbound before disappearing from radar.
Descent and Impact
The airplane was observed descending along a ridgeline. Ground fog totally obscured the ridge tops. The aircraft impacted terrain at about a 90-degree nose-down attitude.
Pilot Information
The pilot's total recorded night flying time was 5.5 hours. His last flight was in January 1989. His last biennial flight review was 29 months before the accident. The pilot had previously spoken of "pushing the limits" in regard to flying in marginal weather conditions.