What happened
Prior to the flight, the pilot consumed alcohol and failed to secure a weather briefing or file an instrument flight rules flight plan. The flight was conducted under night instrument meteorological conditions. After a brief preflight inspection, the pilot departed the airport without communicating on the Unicom frequency. During the flight, the aircraft encountered severe weather, including heavy rain, lightning, hail, and tornadoes.
The aircraft reached a peak altitude of 11,500 feet MSL before descending to 4,300 feet MSL, which was 1,400 feet below the minimum safe altitude for the intended destination. After maintaining this lower altitude for nine minutes, the aircraft entered a descending left turn. Radar contact was lost at 2054. The aircraft's descent rate was measured at at least 6,000 feet per minute, ending in a high-velocity impact with a mountain approximately 450 feet from the final radar return. There were 0 fatalities reported in the provided text, though the impact was high-energy. No mechanical failures were found in the aircraft following the investigation.
Findings
Investigation into the crash determined that the pilot's decision-making was impaired by alcohol consumption and the effects of cetirizine. The pilot's blood ethanol levels exceeded regulatory limits. The lack of communication with air traffic control and the failure to obtain a weather briefing meant the pilot was unaware of the hazardous conditions at the destination. The combination of severe thunderstorms, reduced visibility, and physiological impairment likely led to spatial disorientation, causing the loss of control during the final descent.