Overview
A night flight operated under visual flight rules (VFR) ended in a collision with trees and subsequent crash near Troy. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact, and the pilot, who was the only person on board, suffered fatal injuries. The accident occurred while the aircraft was in normal cruise.
Circumstances
While cruising at night under VFR, the pilot became distracted, causing a lapse in attention to aircraft operation. As a result, the pilot failed to notice that the altitude had become dangerously low. The airplane then struck trees, leading to the crash. The official report noted that the pilot misjudged altitude. Furthermore, the pilot continued VFR flight into adverse weather conditions and operated the aircraft in a careless manner. Dense fog was present in the area at the time of the accident.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause of the accident was collision with trees during normal cruise after the pilot diverted attention from operation of aircraft. Contributing factors included misjudged altitude, continued VFR flight into adverse weather conditions, careless operation, and dense fog in the area.