What happened
During a long-distance cross-country flight, the aircraft encountered various weather disturbances, including rain squalls and thunderstorms, along its intended path. As the flight approached its destination airport, the aircraft entered a rain squall, which resulted in a stall. This led to the aircraft impacting the ground in a nearly vertical descent.
Findings
Investigations into the incident revealed that the pilot was not instrument qualified at the time of the accident. While the pilot had been flying frequently, with approximately four to five flights per week, his recent flight experience records were unavailable. At the time of a multi-engine rating application roughly three and a half months prior, the pilot's logs showed 107 total flight hours.
Regarding the mechanical state of the aircraft, no specific malfunctions were identified, though it was noted that the onboard weather radar had been removed for maintenance purposes. The primary factor in the loss of control was the encounter with a rain squall which induced a stall.