What happened
During a night aerial application flight, a Piper PA-23 impacted trees bordering a bayou and swamp area. The aircraft was operated by a single pilot and a crew member responsible for the spraying equipment; company personnel confirmed the crew member did not fly the airplane.
At the time of the accident, weather conditions were forecast as marginal VFR with mist and thunderstorms. An Airmet Sierra was in effect, indicating ceilings below 1,000 feet AGL and visibility below 3 miles with precipitation and mist. Local observations noted patchy fog forming along the ground and around wooded areas. Other pilots in the area observed this fog formation and chose to return to the airport.
Meteorological data from area stations showed a temperature/dewpoint spread of one degree or less, with radiosonde data indicating a spread of 4 degrees or less from the surface up to 5,407 feet MSL. The average relative humidity was 90% with precipitable water at 139%, and terminal forecast winds were 5 knots or less.
The pilot had a total of 75 hours of flight time in the Piper PA-23, with only 9.0 hours accumulated in the previous three years.