Incident Overview
A pilot, who had obtained his instrument rating one week prior, planned a flight from an unspecified departure point to Gary Municipal Airport in Gary, Indiana. Before takeoff, the pilot called his girlfriend and asked her to pick him up at the airport in one hour. When the pilot had not arrived after one hour and 45 minutes, the girlfriend contacted the Gary Air Traffic Control Tower. Tower personnel advised her that they had had no contact with the pilot. The wreckage was discovered the following morning.
Weather and Pilot Briefing
The pilot received a flight service station briefing prior to takeoff, which included information about low ceilings and snow showers along the planned route of flight. A witness reported seeing "fast-moving snow showers" in West Lafayette, Indiana, between 1900 and 1930 Eastern Standard Time.
Aircraft Examination
Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies with the airplane, indicating that the aircraft itself was functioning properly at the time of the accident.
Pilot Experience
The pilot had recently earned his instrument rating, with his logbook showing only 2.8 hours of actual instrument time. The pilot's instrument flight instructor stated that the first time the pilot encountered actual instrument conditions, he became disoriented.