Flight Details
The pilot-rated passenger stated that the pilot, her husband, flew over Lake Michigan at 6,500 feet mean sea level (msl) to the Coleman, Wisconsin, area. Over Wisconsin, they descended through three distinct cloud layers. She recalled passing 2,500 feet msl when they entered the first cloud layer, and that they flew between cloud layers. The last time she saw the altimeter, it indicated the airplane was descending through 1,000 feet msl. She described their descent: "We were doing a 4 mile circle to get down. We could see land and trees. Then we couldn't see anything. It was pure white. Then I was looking at this big birch tree."
Witness Observations
Witnesses on the ground heard the airplane make two circular passes over their locations. One witness reported that after the second pass, he heard a loud revving of the engine, followed one to two seconds later by the sound of wood cracking.
Weather Conditions
At 1622 Central Standard Time, the Flight Service Station at Green Bay, Wisconsin, reported ceilings of 800 feet above ground level (agl) broken, 1,100 feet agl overcast, 3 miles visibility, light rain, and mist. Witnesses who were within half a mile of the accident site at the time described the weather as thick fog and mist, with visibility less than half a mile.
Examination of Wreckage
Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies. The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating; the pilot-rated passenger also held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating.