[chris]

A twin-engine Beech E-90, N522MJ, was destroyed in a crash near Winslow, AR, on May 17, 2023. The pilot was the only person aboard and was fatally injured.

The crash was caused by the pilot's poor preflight decision to depart into known instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) without a functional autopilot system. That led to spatial disorientation and a failure to maintain aircraft control while flying in IMC during the instrument approach.

The pilot's self-imposed pressure to conduct the flight contributed to the accident.