Dec. 8, Pelham, Ala. / Piper Turbo Lance

At about 17:17 CST, a Piper PA-32RT-300T crashed while maneuvering near Pelham. IMC prevailed and the pilot, who had only a student license, was killed. A witness saw the airplane fly over his residence at a low altitude and a high power setting on a southeasterly heading. He noted it was dark and the weather had deteriorated in the last 45 minutes with fog and heavy mist. After about 20 seconds, he saw the airplane turn to a northerly heading. He then heard the propeller whine typical of diving flight and the thud of terrain impact.