What happened
The aircraft departed at 10:26, approximately 34 minutes before its scheduled arrival for an appointment. The pilot and his wife had contacted family members via telephone around 10:00, stating they were running late. No flight plan had been filed for the flight.
While operating in instrument meteorological conditions, the aircraft was reported overdue about five hours after departure. Due to thick ground fog in the area, search efforts were restricted until daylight the following day, when the wreckage was located. Radar data showed a secondary VFR beacon code at a mode C reported altitude of 1,600 feet mean sea level, positioned 12 nautical miles northwest of the destination airport. The target was observed climbing while proceeding on a southeasterly course toward the airport.
At approximately 3.8 nautical miles northwest of the airport, at a mode C reported altitude of 2,100 feet mean sea level, the aircraft began a gradual descending right turn. The target tracked back toward the northwest until radar contact was lost at 11:31:10, at a mode C reported altitude of 300 feet. The last recorded radar target was located 1.5 nautical miles south of the accident site. The aircraft impacted trees and terrain, with the initial impact point near the top of a 100-foot tree located approximately 370 feet from the main wreckage.
The investigation
An examination of aviation routine weather reports for the destination airport and surrounding airports within 20 miles revealed widespread low stratus and fog. Visibility was reported at 1/4-mile or less under a 100-foot overcast, with cloud tops reported at 800 feet.