November 21, Okolona, Miss. / Beech Bonanza

At about 1022 central time, a Beech G35 was destroyed after colliding with a tree and then the ground near Okolona, Mississippi. The pilot and two passengers were killed. The flight originated from Hattiesburg, Miss. under instrument flight rules in VFR conditions to Okolona. About 10 minutes prior to the accident, the pilot cancelled his IFR clearance and proceeded to the site of a commercial building housing a business he owned. He then maneuvered at a low altitude in the vicinity of the building, as observed by the foreman and several employees of the business. The foreman lost sight of the airplane behind the building but when it reappeared east of the building, he thought the left wing tip was bent and the airplane was in a banked turn. Another witness saw the airplane collide with a tree located east of the building, then crash in a field. A post-crash fire destroyed the cockpit and cabin of the airplane.