Flight and Weather Briefing
The pilot did not obtain any preflight or in-flight weather briefings. While being vectored by air traffic control and advised to maintain visual flight rules (VFR) under dark night conditions, the non-instrument rated pilot encountered level 3 radar returns.
Accident Sequence
Radar data from Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) indicates that the airplane entered a left turn and descended 1,000 feet in a 12-second period between the second-to-last and the last radar returns. The aircraft was lost from radar at 5,400 feet mean sea level (MSL). Civil twilight at the location where radar contact was lost ended at 2052.
Search and Recovery
A search for the airplane was conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Civil Air Patrol, and aircraft from Patrick and Moody Air Force Base. The flight crew of a helicopter from the 301st Rescue Squadron located the wreckage approximately 40 hours after the airplane was lost from radar.
Wreckage Examination
Separated sections of both wings and the right horizontal stabilator were located about 0.3 nautical mile south-southwest of the main wreckage location. Examination of the fracture surfaces revealed no evidence of preexisting cracks. Examination of the engine, flight controls, and vacuum pump revealed no evidence of pre-impact failure or malfunction.
Toxicological Findings
Cocaine and benzoylecgonine, an inactive metabolite of cocaine, were detected in the pilot's bile. Propoxyphene (a narcotic painkiller often referred to by the trade name Darvon) and norpropoxyphene (a metabolite of propoxyphene) were also detected in the pilot's bile. A small plastic packet of cocaine was found in a wallet that contained the pilot's identification.