What happened
The flight originated in Virginia late on the day before the accident and arrived in South Carolina early on the morning of the accident. Following the arrival, the aircraft was refueled with 10.1 gallons of aviation fuel. After a brief interaction with flight line personnel, during which no aircraft issues were mentioned, the pilot requested an instrument flight clearance within thirty minutes of landing.
During the initial climb phase of the flight, radio contact was lost. This loss of communication occurred immediately after the pilot reported that he had a "prob". Air traffic controllers attempted to re-establish radio contact, but these attempts failed, and radar contact was never established. At the time of the attempted night flight, local weather observations indicated that instrument weather conditions were prevailing.
The investigation
An examination of the aircraft was conducted, which did not reveal any evidence of a mechanical malfunction. Additionally, investigators found no evidence regarding pilot impairment or incapacitation.