Wendell was on an IFR flight plan with an airplane that was NOT IFR equipped.  511WD was heavily and exceptionally outfitted on the NAV/AP side but questionable on basic primary instruments even for VFR sunny bunnies.

Rich,

 

Why are you so focused on what you don't know?  Have you seen the log books?  If the plane was FAA FARs "not IFR equipped", then it is another example of compounded judgement (no pun intended) error and illegal to boot.  If instruments were placed in illogical (not scan friendly) places, another error in judgement and ergonomics.  However, the gear lights and switch are well located. 

 

Maybe it was out of trim when the A/P disconnected or maybe, like the Canadian Cirrus numbnut, the fuel load in the wings was so unbalanced that any upset was not recoverable.  Maybe the electrical system was not well thought out and any failure was catastrophic - not like my certified Skymaster that had all the interior lights on one breaker, lose one, lose'm all.

 

It is an experimental aircraft and most of us do better with our stuff  than rigidly fixed ancient erroneous designs forced to stay the same bad way so that when you rent an aircraft, each one works the same bad way.

 

Sometimes, we just learn from other's mistakes if we know what they were.