ATL07FA010 · Cessna 182T

The pilot had filed an IFR flight to Wilson Industrial Air Center Airport, Wilson, North Carolina (W03). A review of radar data showed the flight overflew W03 then diverted to Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport (RWI), Rocky Mount, North Carolina. An airport employee at RWI stated that, while towing a King Air out of a hangar, he heard a pilot announce over the radio that he was making an approach to runway 4. He stated that the weather at the time was light rain, fog, and mist, and that winds were light and favoring runway 4. He said that he could not see the airplane on approach until it broke through the clouds, approximately 600 to 700 feet above ground level (AGL) estimated, and it was well left of the runway centerline. He could see that it was a Cessna 182. The airplane then climbed back into the clouds and departed the area to the northwest. The next radio communication the employee heard was a King Air pilot asking it anyone was talking to the Cessna 182, as Washington Center had lost contact. Recorded audio communication between the pilot and Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) found that the pilot reported to ARTCC that he was doing a missed approach at RWI. The controller told the pilot to climb and maintain 3,000 feet. The pilot then requested an alternate destination and the controller listed several airports including Greenville, North Carolina. The pilot asked about the weather at Greenville and the controller reported that the weather was; visibility 7 miles, scattered clouds at 600 feet, broken clouds at 3200 feet, and overcast ceiling at 5500 feet. The pilot accepted the alternate of Greenville and the controller told the pilot to climb and maintain 3,000 feet and turn right direct Greenville. Several seconds passed and the controller asked the pilot "did you copy", the pilot stated "copied yes mam". This was the last radio transmission received from the pilot. The airplane impacted the ground in a steep nose down attitude leaving a 4-foot deep crater. Examination of the airplane found no preimpact mechanical failure or malfunctions that would have prevented the airplane from operating properly. According to the pilot's logbook he had accumulated about 271 hours total time as of September 22, 2006, and 3.3 hours of actual instrument time in the last 90 days preceding the accident.

Verbatim NTSB analysis and probable cause from the NTSB dataset