Event Details
A pilot obtained a weather briefing before departure but did not file a flight plan. Approximately 35 minutes after takeoff, the aircraft was observed flying at low altitude over Interstate Highway 5 in the vicinity of the Gorman VOR and Tejon Pass. A patrolman who witnessed the aircraft estimated that it cleared a highway access bridge by approximately 25 feet. The cloud layer in that area was reported to be about 75 feet above ground level (AGL); near the summit of the pass, the ceiling was approximately 15 feet AGL. After crossing the bridge, the aircraft disappeared from the patrolman's view.
Wreckage Location and Examination
The aircraft was subsequently found where it had crashed on the Gorman mountainside, above the highway at an elevation of about 4,300 feet mean sea level (MSL). An inspection of the wreckage was conducted, and no evidence of an inflight structural failure was discovered.
Weather and Flight Plan
Prior to the flight, the pilot received a weather briefing but chose not to file a flight plan. The observed low cloud ceilings in the area, with estimates as low as 15 feet AGL near the summit, were consistent with the reported conditions. The aircraft's low-altitude passage over the highway and subsequent disappearance suggest it continued into the mountainous terrain under the low clouds.