Accident Sequence
The pilot filed an IFR flight to Wilson Industrial Air Center Airport in Wilson, North Carolina. Radar data showed the flight overflew its intended destination and diverted to Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport (RWI) in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. An airport employee at RWI reported hearing a pilot announce an approach to runway 4. The employee stated that weather included light rain, fog, and mist, with light winds favoring runway 4. He could not see the airplane until it broke through clouds at an estimated 600 to 700 feet above ground level, well left of the runway centerline. The airplane, identified as a Cessna 182, then climbed back into clouds and departed to the northwest. Subsequent radio communications included a King Air pilot asking if anyone was talking to the Cessna, as Washington Center had lost contact.
Recorded audio communication with Washington ARTCC revealed that the pilot reported a missed approach at RWI. The controller instructed the pilot to climb and maintain 3,000 feet. The pilot requested an alternate destination, and the controller listed several airports, including Greenville, North Carolina. The pilot inquired about weather at Greenville, and the controller reported visibility 7 miles, scattered clouds at 600 feet, broken clouds at 3,200 feet, and an overcast ceiling at 5,500 feet. The pilot accepted Greenville as an alternate, and the controller directed him to climb and maintain 3,000 feet and turn right direct to Greenville. After several seconds, the controller asked if the pilot had copied; the pilot replied "copied yes mam". This was the last radio transmission from the pilot.
The airplane impacted the ground in a steep nose-down attitude, leaving a 4-foot deep crater.
Investigation
Examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have prevented normal operation.
Pilot Information
According to the pilot's logbook, he had accumulated approximately 271 hours of total flight time as of September 22, 2006, and 3.3 hours of actual instrument time in the 90 days preceding the accident.