What happened
On a night flight departing from Springfield, Missouri, an instrument-rated pilot began a visual flight rules (VFR) trip toward Mt Vernon, Missouri. After departing from runway 20, the pilot initiated a right turn intended to climb to an altitude of 3,000 feet. Shortly after this maneuver, air traffic control personnel lost radar tracking of the aircraft and subsequently alerted the FAA regional operations center.
The aircraft crashed approximately 7 miles southwest of the Springfield airport. While a witness in the vicinity observed an aircraft descending through low cloud cover, the actual impact was not seen. The pilot, who was the only person on board, was killed in the accident.
Findings
Investigation of the wreckage indicated that the aircraft was traveling at a high rate of speed on an easterly heading at the time of impact. The aircraft struck the ground in a nose-low attitude with the left wing down. Investigators found no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or any failure of aircraft components prior to the crash. However, there was no documentation indicating that the pilot had received a preflight weather briefing before departure.