Accident Overview
A night VFR flight ended in a crash shortly after takeoff. The pilot and two passengers departed under conditions of 100-foot overcast and 2.5 miles visibility in mist. At approximately 100 feet above ground level, the landing light failed and the airplane entered the overcast.
In-Flight Events
After entering the clouds, the airplane emerged in a nose-low attitude of about 15 degrees, then climbed back into the overcast. It crashed shortly afterward, impacting the ground at approximately 70 degrees nose-down. A post-crash fire ensued.
Aircraft and Systems Inspection
Examination of the wreckage revealed no pre-impact failures with the airplane or any of its systems.
Pilot Information
The pilot had accumulated approximately 1,800 total flight hours, with about 13 hours in the preceding 30 days. His FAA medical certificate was expired and contained a restriction against night flight due to defective color vision. No record existed of the pilot obtaining a weather briefing prior to the flight.