What happened
On the night of the accident, a pilot and two passengers were flying toward an airport to pick up a friend under night visual meteorological conditions (VMC). Witnesses observed the aircraft flying at approximately 300 feet AGL over a city, performing various headings and occasionally circling. One witness noted that the pilot appeared disoriented regarding his direction of travel.
The aircraft proceeded on a northerly heading toward the midfield point of the airport. During this flight, the plane collided with pine trees before falling onto the roof of a church located 150 feet north of the tree line. The impact and subsequent fire destroyed both the aircraft and the church. There were 3 fatalities resulting from the accident.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and found that the fuel selector valve was set to the 'left aux' tank position; however, the use of auxiliary tanks is intended for level flight only. Mechanical analysis of the actuator settings indicated that the landing gear was down and the flaps were in the up position at the time of impact. Additionally, propeller signatures confirmed that the engine was in a power-producing mode during the collision.