Incident Overview
At approximately 1744 Central Standard Time, while en route to his destination, the pilot reported that he had encountered headwinds and had only 50 minutes of fuel remaining. He was provided preferential handling by air traffic control, though another aircraft was also experiencing low fuel. The pilot was subsequently cleared for an NDB runway 15 approach.
Communications
At 1756:49, the pilot acknowledged the clearance for the approach. Around 1800, the Unicom advisory reported the current weather conditions: 700-foot broken ceiling, sky obscured with heavy rain, wind variable from 090 to 240 degrees at 24 knots gusting to 29 knots. The pilot did not acknowledge the weather report, but instead stated in a calm voice, "I hope you have your lights on." The fixed-base operator then heard several clicks on the Unicom frequency, interpreted as an attempt to activate the runway lights. No further radio contact was established with the aircraft.
Wreckage and Witnesses
The aircraft struck trees and crashed approximately 6 miles west-northwest of the airport. Witnesses reported that the aircraft was at low altitude and had reversed course before crashing on a southerly heading. The main wreckage came to rest about 380 feet from the initial impact point with trees. Investigators found no evidence of preimpact part failure or malfunction.
Weather Observations
Approximately 42 miles south-southeast of the accident site, at Lufkin, the 1751 CST weather included: 200-foot overcast ceiling, visibility 3/4 mile with thunderstorms, heavy rain and fog, wind from 020 degrees at 12 knots. The approach minimums for the procedure were 600-foot ceiling and 1 mile visibility.