Accident Overview
While in normal cruise from Olivia to Lafayette, Indiana, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions including thunderstorm activity and turbulence. The airplane went out of control, entered an uncontrolled descent, and suffered a general disintegration before crashing in an open field. All six occupants were killed. There were no survivors.
Investigation
Investigators determined that the pilot had departed Olivia with the aircraft's weather radar inoperative. During the thunderstorm encounter, the airframe failed, leading to uncontrolled descent. The aircraft exceeded its designed stress limits, and components separated in flight. Contributing factors included thunderstorm activity and associated turbulence.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause was airframe failure and subsequent uncontrolled descent after the pilot attempted operation with known deficiencies in equipment.