What happened
The pilot had purchased the airplane in the State of $Washington$ only a few days prior to the accident and was engaged in a cross-country ferry flight to Providence, Rhode Island. The flight was being conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). During the final leg of the journey, while enroute to Providence, the aircraft crashed.
At the time of the accident, weather conditions were deteriorating. A radar image from 23 minutes before the impact indicated strong returns consistent with heavy precipitation near the accident site. A witness at the scene described the environment as rainy, foggy, and extremely dark. An official weather observation taken 30 minutes after the accident at an airport 22 miles south of the site reported visibility of 3 miles in rain and mist, with an overcast ceiling at 6,500 feet. The temperature was 72 degrees Fahrenheit with a dew point of 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prior to the flight, the pilot had left a voice message stating she was "socked in" due to an approaching storm from the west. The pilot, who had approximately 1,680 hours of total flight experience, was scheduled to work a 16-hour shift the day following the accident.
The investigation
The aircraft impacted the ground at an angle of approximately 40 degrees nose down. An examination of the wreckage revealed no preimpact failures or malfunctions.