Overview
The airplane was destroyed on impact with terrain following a descent from cruise. An in-flight breakup occurred during the descent. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the surface at the time of the accident. No flight plan had been filed. The pilot had received a weather brief from a Direct User Access Terminal Service (DUATS) for the flight.
Radar Data
Radar data indicated the airplane was on a northeast heading. At 1902:14.0, the airplane's radar return showed it approximately one mile southwest of the accident site at 11,600 feet above mean sea level (MSL). At 1902:18.8, it was at 10,700 feet MSL. At 1902:23.6, it was at 9,800 feet MSL. At 1902:32.7, it was at 7,300 feet MSL.
Witness Accounts
A witness who lived within 300 feet of the crash site reported hearing something coming through the area that was out of control, accompanied by loud rumbling, whizzing, and roaring sounds, followed by an engine sound at full throttle and then an explosion or impact. A second witness stated they heard a loud noise above them, looked up, saw lights on the plane start spiraling down, and watched it spiral to the ground. The impact shook the ground, and debris flew around them.
Weather and Pilot Conditions
The pilot was not instrument current. The airplane's stalling speed at gross weight with flaps and landing gear up was 75 mph, and its top speed was 194 mph. A pilot near the area reported cloud tops at 11,300 feet MSL and encountered moderate rime icing. The moon was below the horizon. Continuous Data Recording (CDR) plots on Doppler weather radar base reflectivity showed the airplane cruised in an area of weather aloft consistent with moisture and temperatures below freezing.
Speed Analysis
Calculated speed plots from the CDR data showed the airplane cruising at an airspeed of about 95–100 knots before decreasing to 78–80 knots just prior to the beginning of the high rate of descent. The speed plots indicated the airplane's airspeed increased to about 225 knots at the last radar return.
Additional Information
An airplane owner reported that the accident pilot routinely flew at 10,500 and 11,500 feet MSL and avoided using air traffic control flight following services. No pre-impact anomalies were detected during an on-scene investigation of the airplane wreckage.