What happened
The flight departed from White Plains, New York, with an intended destination of Marietta, Georgia. During the flight, strong headwinds were forecasted along the route. After flying for four hours and forty-six minutes, the pilot reached the Foothills VOR (ODF) and decided to divert to Athens, Georgia, to refuel.
At the start of the flight, the flight plan indicated five and one-half hours of fuel on board. The pilot did not check the weather for Athens prior to deciding to divert. Upon arrival, the ceilings at the Athens airport were lower than the minimum descent altitude required for approaches. Although other airports within the aircraft's remaining range were operating under VFR conditions, the pilot attempted an approach into Athens and subsequently attempted an approach into another airport located approximately 17 miles east of Athens.
The pilot did not declare an emergency until after a missed approach at the Athens airport. Following this, an attempt was made to locate the Lawrenceville, Georgia airport; however, the runway lights at that facility were out of service, making the airport unidentifiable. The aircraft subsequently suffered fuel exhaustion, resulting in a loss of power and a crash landing in the city of Lawrenceville, approximately three miles south of the airport. There were no fatalities reported in this accident.