The pilot of a Cirrus that crashed shortly after departure from the popular Dallas-area GA airport in Addison reported a rough running engine after takeoff for a cross country flight to Houston. The pilot asked for a return to the airport. The NTSB reported that the pilot attempted two ILS approaches but called off the approaches both times. The airplane crashed after the second aborted attempt while maneuvering. A passenger on the flight was killed in the crash and the private pilot and a second passenger were seriously injured.
While the official weather report sounds like marginal VFR conditions, the actual weather was worse, with ground “haze” and low scud, making visibilities intermittent. A witness reported seeing the Cirrus coming out of the clouds level and at very low altitude before reentering the clouds.
