Flight and Communication
A pilot and a pilot-rated passenger departed on a night cross-country flight under visual flight rules (VFR). They were receiving VFR advisories and had been assigned a discrete transponder code. While climbing to a planned altitude of 9,500 feet mean sea level (msl), they reached 9,100 feet msl when radio and radar contact were lost. The last recorded radio transmission from the pilot was, "We're in a flat (blocked out), we're going to lose it dad."
Search and Weather Conditions
A search was initiated, and the airplane and its occupants were located the following day. Other pilots reported cloud bases in the area at approximately 7,100 feet msl, with tops around 13,000 feet msl. Light conditions were described as "dark night" with little surface ambient light in the sparsely populated area.
Pilot Qualifications and Aircraft Examination
Examination of the pilot's logbook revealed no indication of flight activity during the 90-day period preceding the accident. Neither the pilot nor the pilot-rated passenger held an instrument rating. Postaccident examination of the airplane found no preexisting deficiencies.