Flight Preparation
The pilot, who held an instrument rating, consumed alcohol before arriving at the airport. He did not obtain a weather briefing or file an instrument flight rules flight plan for the flight, which was conducted in instrument meteorological conditions. The preflight inspection lasted approximately three minutes. After initially taxiing to a runway that favored the wind, the pilot departed from a different runway with a tailwind. He did not communicate on the airport's Unicom frequency.
Flight Progress
Following departure, the airplane climbed to a maximum altitude of 11,500 feet mean sea level (msl). It then descended to 4,300 feet msl, which was 1,400 feet below the minimum safe altitude for the destination airport, and remained at that altitude for nine minutes. The pilot did not communicate with air traffic control during the flight. The flight occurred at night in instrument meteorological conditions. The airplane flew through a line of severe thunderstorms with heavy rain, tornadoes, hail, and multiple lightning strikes. Before the airplane began a descending left turn, it encountered moderate-to-heavy rain.
Accident Sequence
Radar contact was lost at 2054 as the airplane began a descending left turn. The airplane's descent rate reached at least 6,000 feet per minute. Impact occurred with a mountain approximately 450 feet from the last radar return. The damage to the airplane and the distribution of wreckage were consistent with a loss of control and a high-velocity impact.
Post-Accident Investigation
Examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical anomalies. Based on the reported weather conditions, the pilot likely completed the entire flight in night instrument meteorological conditions. The decision to operate at night in an area with widespread thunderstorms and reduced visibility was conducive to the development of spatial disorientation. The airplane's descending left turn and high-energy impact were consistent with the known effects of spatial disorientation. The pilot was not aware of the conditions near and at the destination airport because he failed to obtain a weather briefing and was not communicating with air traffic control. Additionally, the pilot's decision to operate an airplane within eight hours of consuming alcohol was inconsistent with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, and the level of ethanol in the pilot's toxicology exceeded the allowed limit. The pilot's intoxication, combined with the impairing effects of cetirizine, affected his judgment, contributed to his unsafe decision-making, and increased his susceptibility to spatial disorientation, which resulted in a loss of control.