Accident Summary
A pilot, his wife, and their five children were returning to Keene, New Hampshire, after a trip to Florida. During a stop in North Carolina, the pilot's wife called her brother and stated they were "unsure" of the weather at Keene and would be flying to Utica or Hamilton, New York, to stay with him. While en route, the pilot's wife updated her brother that the weather at Keene was clearer than expected and they wanted to get the children home in time for school the next day. About one hour later, the pilot informed air traffic control that he did not like the weather at his destination, canceled his IFR clearance, and requested VFR advisories to an airport in Westfield, Massachusetts. The airplane landed at an airport in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, about 1900. The airplane departed from runway 29 about 2003. After takeoff, the airplane made a climbing right turn onto a northeast heading. The airplane continued on an east-northeast heading and impacted terrain about five minutes after takeoff. The wreckage was located at an elevation of about 1,920 feet mean sea level, approximately 7.5 miles east of the departure airport.
Flight History
Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any pre-impact malfunctions. An AIRMET for instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions was valid for the accident site at the time of the accident. One of the children recalled the airplane "landing somewhere dark" and the pilot not being able to locate a telephone.
Weather Conditions
Weather reported about the time of the accident, at an airport with an elevation of 1,193 feet located about 15 miles north of the accident site, included a visibility of 8 miles, few clouds at 900 feet, a broken ceiling at 1,300 feet, and overcast at 1,800 feet. Weather reported at Keene, New Hampshire, about 70 miles northeast of the accident site with an elevation of about 488 feet, at 1855 included visibility of 1/2 statute miles and an overcast ceiling of 100 feet. At 1955, the visibility in Keene increased to 3/4 statute miles; however, the ceiling remained 100 feet overcast. Astronomical data for the accident site area revealed that sunset occurred at 1744 and the end of civil twilight occurred at 1812.