Incident
A 79-year-old pilot, who was not instrument rated, received two preflight weather briefings before departure. During the briefings, he was advised that visual flight rules (VFR) flight was not recommended. Despite this advisory, the pilot departed with his wife, intending to attend a family gathering in Detroit, Michigan, with a planned stop at Westerly, Rhode Island, to pick up radio equipment. Segments of the flight were over water.
During the flight, the pilot was in radio contact with Groton-New London Tower. In his last transmission, he indicated that he was descending into Westerly. However, the aircraft did not reach its intended destination.
Search and Recovery
A search was initiated after a fisherman found debris from the aircraft. The aircraft was located five days later in approximately 50 feet of water, about 5 miles south of Westerly Airport.
Weather Conditions
About 15 miles south of Westerly, at Block Island State Airport, an airport attendant reported low ceilings and fog that prevented inbound and outbound flights to Westerly. The weather conditions at the accident location were not otherwise specified.
Probable Cause
No probable cause was determined from the available information.