What happened
On the night of the accident, an aircraft was descending from its cruise altitude when it experienced an in-flight breakup. Radar data tracked the aircraft on a northeast heading, showing a rapid loss of altitude. At 19:02:14, the aircraft was approximately one mile southwest of the crash site at 11,600 feet MSL. Within less than twenty seconds, the altitude dropped to 10,700 feet, and by 19:02:32, it had descended to 7,300 feet MSL.
Witnesses near the site reported hearing loud, roaring engine sounds at full throttle followed by an explosion and impact. One witness observed lights from the aircraft spiraling toward the ground, noting that the impact caused the ground to shake and debris to scatter.
At the time of the accident, the moon was below the horizon and weather conditions were visual meteorological surface conditions. No flight plan had been filed for the flight, though the pilot had received a weather briefing via a DUATS service. The aircraft's airspeed was recorded at approximately 95 to 100 knots during cruise, decreasing to 78 to 80 knots just before the high-rate descent began, and finally increasing to about 225 knots at the last radar return.
The investigation
An investigation of the wreckage revealed no pre-impact anomalies. Analysis of Continuous Data Recording (CDR) plotted on Doppler weather radar showed the aircraft had been cruising through weather aloft consistent with moisture and freezing temperatures. A nearby pilot reported encountering moderate rime icing at cloud tops near 11,300 feet MSL. The aircraft's stalling speed at gross weight was 75 mph, while its top speed was 194 mph.