What happened
During a cross-country flight at night, the pilot encountered deteriorating weather conditions. Upon arriving at the destination airport, the Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS) reported mist and a 200-foot ceiling. After performing several low passes, the pilot was unable to locate the runway due to the lack of visibility.
The pilot proceeded to a nearby airport, but reported that weather conditions there were even worse. He subsequently turned back toward his original destination and declared an emergency, notifying controllers of low fuel. While en route, the pilot observed the rotating beacon of another airport and decided to divert there. However, the pilot became disoriented and flew east instead of south. During this period, the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion, and the aircraft impacted the terrain during a forced landing.
Prior to the flight, the pilot had received four weather briefings. During the third briefing, he was notified of low ceilings at nearby airports and warned that while improvement was forecast, the current fog had not been predicted. The fourth briefing indicated visibility might drop during the early morning hours. Although the pilot noted the aircraft was consuming more fuel than usual during the flight, he did not become concerned until weather conditions prevented a landing at his primary destination.
The investigation
A review of the pilot's written statement indicated that no attempts were made to contact aviation facilities for updated weather information while en route. Weather observations 41 minutes before the accident showed 7 miles visibility and a 200-foot overcast, while observations 19 minutes after the accident showed 4 miles visibility with mist.