Accident Overview
At night, an instrument-rated pilot departed Springfield, Missouri, on a VFR flight destined for Mt Vernon, Missouri. After takeoff from runway 20, the pilot executed a right turn and began climbing to 3,000 feet. Soon after, tower personnel lost radar contact with the aircraft and notified the FAA regional operations center. The aircraft crashed approximately 7 miles southwest of the airport.
A witness reported seeing an aircraft descending out of low clouds in the area but did not observe the actual crash. The airplane came to rest on an easterly heading, impacting at a high rate of speed in a left wing down, nose low attitude. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, was killed.
Investigation Findings
Investigators found no preimpact part failure or malfunction of the aircraft. No record of a preflight weather briefing was located. The pilot held an instrument rating, but the flight was conducted under VFR at night.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause of the accident was the pilot's inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and his spatial disorientation, which resulted in loss of aircraft control. Contributing factors included the pilot's inadequate weather evaluation, darkness, low ceiling, and fog.