April 3, 1998
Allendale, SC
Rockwell 112TC
2 FATAL
The non-instrument rated pilot departed at night into weather that was reported as 100 feet overcast, visibility ?-mile in fog. A witness reported the airplane was on takeoff climb and was about 200 feet above the ground before it disappeared into the clouds. He heard the engine “rev up” just before impact. Before the flight, the same witness overheard the passenger question the pilot if he had checked the weather. According to the witness, the pilot said to the passenger, “The storm is over, it will be fine.” Earlier on the day of the accident, another witness at the airport saw the airplane land and he described the weather at the time as a ceiling of no more than 300 feet and one mile visibility. Examination of the aircraft wreckage did not disclose evidence of mechanical malfunction. (MIA98FA121)
