What happened
During a nighttime flight, an aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 16,500 feet when it suddenly disappeared from both radar and radio communications. No distress signals or emergency calls were transmitted by the pilot prior to the loss of contact. Radar tracking data indicated that the aircraft entered a left-hand descending turn before the signal was lost. At the time of the incident, other aircraft operating in the vicinity were performing maneuvers to avoid local weather patterns. Witnesses on the ground reported hearing the aircraft before the impact occurred, noting that rain was present in the area.
Findings
Investigations into the flight history of the pilot revealed that they had recently begun flight training in March and had obtained a multi-engine rating in June. The pilot's total flight experience consisted of 142 hours, which included only 25 hours of experience in this specific aircraft type and a total of 9 hours of night flying experience. Crucially, the pilot lacked an instrument rating, which may have impacted the ability to navigate safely during the reported inclement weather and the subsequent descent.