Incident Summary
A Cessna 182 aircraft crashed into mountainous terrain at the 6,500 ft elevation of a 7,000 ft peak. The accident occurred near the Trinity Center Airport in California.
Sequence of Events
The pilot initially contacted the Redding, California tower, stating he was on top and 41 miles from the Redding VOR. He then reported that he was going into the clouds and requested radar service. Subsequently, he contacted Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC), which provided assistance until the pilot stated he had found a hole and was descending near the Trinity Center Airport.
Radar and radio contact were lost as the aircraft descended below ARTCC coverage. Another pilot was asked to relay transmissions and reported that the Cessna 182 was over the lake looking for the runway. At 1812, the other pilot relayed that the Cessna 182 was going to climb back up and that it was "squirrelly" down there.
Weather Conditions
The weather in the area was reported as hazy and foggy, with the mountains obscured.