Accident Overview
An aircraft collided with mountainous terrain while en route on a dark night. The accident occurred in a heavily wooded, snow-covered area. The aircraft was in or near level flight at an altitude of approximately 4500 feet above mean sea level (MSL) at the time of the crash. The top of the mountain was about 5200 feet MSL.
Circumstances
The investigation determined that the aircraft struck the terrain while maintaining level flight. There were no known ground reference lights in the area of the accident, which would have provided visual cues for navigation or orientation.
Environmental Conditions
Broken and overcast sky conditions existed well above the altitude of the crash site. There was no moon on that night, and the clouds would have blocked out all reference to the sky. The absence of moonlight and the overcast sky likely deprived the flight crew of natural horizon references. The snow-covered terrain and heavy tree cover further reduced visual contrast. No other contributing factors were identified.