Weather Briefings and Pilot Attitude
A student pilot received two weather briefings prior to departure. The first briefing indicated that the intended route was marginal VFR, and the second briefing reported that conditions had deteriorated to IFR. On both occasions, the pilot was advised that VFR flight was not recommended. In a post-accident interview, the pilot stated that marginal weather did not bother him and that he knew "how to fly in the clouds."
In-Flight Difficulties
Approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes after departure, the pilot contacted New Orleans Approach Control and requested assistance in reaching his destination airport. The controller informed him that all airports in the area were IFR. Over the next 1 hour and 38 minutes, the controller attempted to vector the pilot to various airports in the area. Another aircraft assisted in these efforts, but in each instance, the pilot was unable to locate the airports due to thick undercast conditions.
Fuel Exhaustion and Accident
While being vectored for an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach, the pilot reported that his engine had quit due to fuel exhaustion. He was unable to glide to the airport and crashed into trees approximately 8 miles short of the airport.