Unplanned Cross-Country Flight Ends in Ground Impact (N996T)

Flight Details and Discovery The pilot received a preflight weather briefing that forecast visual meteorological conditions along the proposed route. He then took off on a cross-country flight under visual flight rules without filing a flight plan. About one and a half hours after takeoff, a rancher found the aircraft wreckage burning in an outlying, level pasture after a neighbor reported smoke coming from the area. ## Impact and Wreckage The aircraft struck the ground in an upright attitude with the flaps and landing gear retracted. The wreckage bounced, slid, and tumbled about 447 feet before coming to rest. The impact direction was perpendicular to the route of flight. ## Investigation Findings No preimpact part failure or malfunction of the aircraft was found. The owner stated that the pilot had overstressed the aircraft on a previous flight, but no relationship was verified between that event and the accident.