Accident Overview
A night positioning cross-country flight over very sparsely populated country ended in a crash after the aircraft entered a weather frontal system. Radar data and an onboard handheld GPS receiver indicated that the aircraft spiraled to the left and accelerated to a high rate of speed before impacting the ground. The following morning, a helicopter dispatched to the last radar return located the wreckage. The aircraft was fragmented, with the engine found approximately 1,200 feet from the initial impact point.
Flight Details
The pilot departed for the positioning flight at night. The flight progressed into a weather frontal system that produced light to heavy rain. The pilot had accumulated approximately 480 hours of flight experience, with no actual instrument meteorological condition (IMC) flying experience. He had approximately 15 hours of night flying, most of which had been flown between 22 and 24 months before the accident flight.
Examination Findings
A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preimpact anomalies that might have affected the airplane's flight performance.