At about 1201 Central time, the airplane was destroyed when it collided with terrain following a loss of control. The Commercial pilot and sole occupant was fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed. Several minutes after departure, the pilot “found a problem and that he wanted to check it out on the ground.” While returning to the airfield, radar showed the airplane gradually descending at a ground speed of 170 knots. The last radar hit showed the airplane at 2700 feet msl at a groundspeed of 160 knots. Several people reported observing the airplane overhead, before hearing a “pop.” The witnesses reported that the airplane appeared to nose-dive into ground. The airplane impacted the ground in a near-vertical attitude.
