Accident Sequence
The flight departed at approximately 1653, about 46 minutes before the calculated end of civil twilight. The accident occurred at approximately 1759, or 20 minutes after the end of civil twilight. The airplane descended nose first and came to rest upright in a wooded area, in a right wing and nose low attitude with the empennage elevated.
Witness Observations
One witness reported seeing lights from the airplane descend below trees, then the lights were observed to come up and then go down sharply. Another witness noted the airplane was flying alongside a highway nearby the airport at a low altitude, then observed the airplane collide with the tops of trees.
Aircraft Examination
A damaged tree located north of where the airplane came to rest was noted. The impact-damaged right wing remained secured by the aileron flight control cables, while the bolt securing the aft wing and fuselage fittings of the left wing was not recovered. NTSB metallurgical examination of the holes in the fittings of the left wing revealed elongation consistent with contact by the bolt shank. No evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction was noted with the flight controls for roll, pitch, and yaw. The auxiliary fuel pump and landing light operationally tested satisfactory post accident. Examination of the engine revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. Tree trunks measuring various diameters were noted to have 45-degree cuts.
Airport Information
The airport was determined to have a homemade visual approach slope indicator (VASI) installed, that was utilized by a pilot who flew a twin-engine airplane into the airport; the airport facility directory did not depict the homemade VASI.
Pilot Experience
A review of the pilot's logbook revealed his last logged night flight occurred on October 22, 2002, or about 24 days earlier.