Aircraft Crash After Left Turn Near Airport (N170CT)

Departure and Flight Path After departing the airport on runway 27, the pilot, who was not instrument-rated, climbed several hundred feet before turning left. A ground witness lost visual contact with the aircraft's position lights after the turn. Other people on the ground reported hearing the aircraft flying low overhead, and engine sounds were heard until the time of impact. The aircraft crashed approximately 1 1/2 miles southwest of the airport. ## Weather and Briefing One witness reported that the pilot had obtained a telephone weather briefing before departure. However, a check of FAA flight service facility records did not identify a record of the briefing given to the pilot. Two witnesses near the accident site estimated the cloud base to have been approximately 150 feet above ground level at the time of the accident, with visibility less than 3 miles due to fog.