Flight Details
The pilot was conducting a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country repositioning flight at dusk in preparation for skydiving activities the following morning. He had accumulated over 8,600 total flight hours but did not hold an instrument rating. ADS-B data indicated the pilot did not fly a direct route to the destination, and the airplane's altitude varied throughout the flight. During the first half of the flight, he flew northbound along a major interstate at about 1,700 ft mean sea level (msl). He then turned left and flew west over a city, climbing to 3,100 ft msl before turning right to the north-northeast.
Weather Conditions
Weather conditions along the latter portion of the route included areas of low ceilings and cloud cover. The meandering flight path was consistent with a pilot attempting to avoid entering instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and/or using ground lighting and roadways to navigate and maintain visual references.
Final Maneuvers
In the final minute of the flight, ADS-B data showed the airplane entered a descending 180° turn to the right, with the descent rate increasing steadily to greater than 12,000 ft per minute until the data ended. Although the pilot's initiation of the right turn may have been an attempt to avoid or exit IMC, a review of available weather information revealed that, about the time of the right turn, the airplane likely encountered and remained in IMC consisting of significantly reduced visibility and low ceilings while flying over a rural area with few ground lights or other visual references. The airplane was destroyed and the pilot was killed.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause was the non-instrument-rated pilot's continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in spatial disorientation and a subsequent loss of control.