What happened
On the day of the accident, the pilot received three separate weather briefings from the Miami Automated Flight Service Station. While already in flight, the pilot was issued an IFR clearance that initially required a climb to 9,000 feet MSL, but was subsequently updated with instructions to descend to 2,000 feet MSD and maintain a heading of 030 degrees.
Radar tracking showed that after receiving these instructions, the aircraft performed a right descending turn toward a southeasterly heading, then transitioned into a left turn toward the east. During this maneuver, the aircraft was lost from radar contact at an altitude of 2,200 feet MSL. The wreckage was discovered 0.38 nautical miles from the final radar contact point at a bearing of 138 degrees.
Telemetry data recorded a rapid descent between 16:31:04 and 16:31:28. Specifically, the aircraft dropped from 7,600 feet to 6,100 feet in the first twelve seconds, followed by an additional 3,900-foot descent in the subsequent 12 seconds. The aircraft experienced disintegration during the flight.
Findings
Weather radar analysis indicated that the aircraft encountered moderate intensity (VIP Level 2) echoes in the vicinity of the loss of control. More intense weather, ranging from intense to extreme (VIP Level 5 to 6), was observed between 10 and 20 miles east-northeast to southeast of the crash site, with the strongest reflectivity located 20 miles east of the accident area.
Investigation of the wreckage revealed that the left wing, left aileron, and left horizontal stabilizer and elevator were recovered. The right wing was found to be fragmented, with only a portion of the wing and the right outboard flap identified. There was no evidence of fire occurring either in flight or following the impact. Furthermore, the engine and propellers showed no signs of malfunction or failure prior to the crash.