What happened
A 62-year-old private pilot, who was not instrument rated, departed from Coulter Airport for a 435-mile night cross-country flight toward Van Horn, Texas. The flight was conducted under marginal VFR conditions, with ceilings ranging between 1,300 and 2,100 feet and visibility unrestricted greater than 6 miles. While astronomical data indicated a nearly full moon, the aircraft was likely operating beneath the cloud ceiling without lunar illumination.
Houston Center radar tracked the aircraft as it departed and proceeded in a southwest direction. The radar signal was lost approximately 40 nautical miles short of the accident site, near an area about 7 miles west-northwest of Johnson City. The aircraft subsequently impacted trees. The wreckage was located in a remote rural area 30 days after the accident. The impact forces and a post-impact fire destroyed the aircraft.
The investigation
An examination of the airplane and the engine revealed no structural or mechanical anomalies that existed prior to the impact.