19980403005469A

(.4)The pilot called the specialist at the anderson, south carolina, automated flight service station, requested and received the weather for his destination airport, 50 miles southeast of the airport where he was located. The pilot was told that the weather at his destination was, '...thunderstorm...five hundred scattered, fifteen hundred broken, cumulonimbus, eight thousand overcast, visibility four miles, thunderstorms, light rainshowers mist, temperature and due point seventeen (63F)...thunderstrom(s) west moving to the east...that should move through fairly fast.' A witness said, '... I saw a airplane trying to land at the airport...this same plane finally landed with a ceiling of not more then 300 feet AGL (above ground level), and a visibility of not more then 1 NM (nautical mile). At the time I was thinking the pilots were IFR because the weather was way below our VOR approach minimums...700 feet.' The pilot had the line personnel refuel the airplane and the went to eat. A waitress where the two men ate said, that two men '...she did not know...were looking for a place to rent a car and a pay phone...a black haired guy (identified by the sheriff as the passenger) order ed a...sandwich and a budweiser (beer). The taller guy ordered a sandwich and a glass of water..after they (ate), they sat at the table for awhile and ordered nothing else...' A sheriff's deputy picked up the two men and drove them to the airport, about 2000. The deputy said, '...the two gentlemen asked me to give then a ride...while the two men were in my car the young male told the older male (pilot) they needed to check the weather, and the older man's replay was no, the storm is over, it will be fine.' After getting out of the car at the airport on of the men went to the right wing other to the left wing, and they untied the airplane's wings. Then the 'young white male' got up into the plane on the right side. The 'older gentleman' walked around the plane and got in on the left side. They sat in the plane for about 2 minutes, the engine started up and they taxied to the runway. They went down the runway, turned around, came back and took off. The deputy was sitting on his car and watched them. He said, '...(the) plane disappeared in the fog. I then heard a funny noise from the engine (revving), and then I saw the explosion...' The deputy told the saftey board that the plane was about 200 feet above the ground before it disappeared into the clouds. He heard the engine 'rev up' just before impact. According to the faa's records, the pilot was not instrument qualified. The offical sunset for the latitude and longitude for the Allendale airport at the time of the accident was, 1848. The end of twilight was 1913. (-23) the pilot-in-command of N111TC took off on runway 17 in what was reported by witnesses into IMC at Allendale County Airport. During climb after takeoff, the airplane crashed on a 180 degree heading. The aircraft was destroyed by fire after the crash. The pilot-in-command and his passenger were fatally injured.