What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(.4)The pilot had telephoned the jonesboro fss and was advised by the briefer 'moderate turbulence... Icing... Visibilities one to two with thunderstorms and rain.... VFR flight is not recommended.' The pilot reported 'I'm gonna file that way and then I'll go just as close as I can get and when it gets bad I'll just shut it down.' Instrument meteorological conditions, severe rain, and thunderstorms were reported by witnesses in the vicinity of the accident site. Several people reported that they heard the sound of the airplane flying overhead at 'a low altitude.' No eyewitnesses were located. The outboard nine feet of the left wing was located approximately 1/4 mile from the main wreckage. Examination of the wing spar fragments and a section of the wing from the vicinity of the left wing fracture revealed 'features typical of overstress separations. Deformation associated with the fracture in the upper and lower spar caps was indicative of a bending overstress separation in the downward direction. No fatigue cracking or other types of progressive deterioration was noted.' Examination of the wreckage revealed no other evidence of preimpact malfunction.
As the FAA filed it
(.4)THE PILOT HAD TELEPHONED THE JONESBORO FSS AND WAS ADVISED BY THE BRIEFER 'MODERATE TURBULENCE... ICING... VISIBILITIES ONE TO TWO WITH THUNDERSTORMS AND RAIN.... VFR FLIGHT IS NOT RECOMMENDED.' THE PILOT REPORTED 'I'M GONNA FILE THAT WAY AND THEN I'LL GO JUST AS CLOSE AS I CAN GET AND WHEN IT GETS BAD I'LL JUST SHUT IT DOWN.' INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, SEVERE RAIN, AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE REPORTED BY WITNESSES IN THE VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT SITE. SEVERAL PEOPLE REPORTED THAT THEY HEARD THE SOUND OF THE AIRPLANE FLYING OVERHEAD AT 'A LOW ALTITUDE.' NO EYEWITNESSES WERE LOCATED. THE OUTBOARD NINE FEET OF THE LEFT WING WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 1/4 MILE FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. EXAMINATION OF THE WING SPAR FRAGMENTS AND A SECTION OF THE WING FROM THE VICINITY OF THE LEFT WING FRACTURE REVEALED 'FEATURES TYPICAL OF OVERSTRESS SEPARATIONS. DEFORMATION ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRACTURE IN THE UPPER AND LOWER SPAR CAPS WAS INDICATIVE OF A BENDING OVERSTRESS SEPARATION IN THE DOWNWARD DIRECTION. NO FATIGUE CRACKING OR OTHER TYPES OF PROGRESSIVE DETERIORATION WAS NOTED.' EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO OTHER EVIDENCE OF PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.