Accident Sequence
Witnesses near the departure airport observed the airplane about 17 miles south in a 90-degree right bank. The airplane continued rolling to an inverted position while simultaneously nosing down to a near-vertical descent. All wreckage was accounted for at the accident site.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate. A second-class medical certificate application from July 7, 1997, indicated 3,700 total flight hours. A flight log showed the pilot accumulated 6.4 flight hours in the 60 days preceding the event. No evidence indicated the pilot had not obtained sufficient rest before the flight.
Aircraft and Maintenance
The pilot had just picked up the newly painted airplane for a visual flight to the home base. Aircraft maintenance records did not reveal any open discrepancies. Examination of the wreckage found no evidence of an in-flight fire, explosion, or mechanical or flight control malfunction.
Investigation Findings
No evidence was found to suggest a medical cause for incapacitation, but investigators could not rule out incapacitation for medical reasons. The official probable cause was determined to be the pilot's in-flight loss of control for undetermined reasons.