Departure and Witness Observations
The pilot, a contractor, was scheduled to attend a heavy equipment auction in Sacramento beginning at 1000. Witnesses reported hearing normal engine sounds as the aircraft departed runway 19 and turned onto a left downwind departure. The aircraft was observed proceeding on a northeast heading, paralleling Highway 152 at about 500 feet above ground level, heading straight toward where it ended up on a hillside.
Another witness observed the aircraft flying beneath the clouds and then entering the clouds in a climb near the base of the hill. Airport-based pilots described the departure as one of two "bootleg" IFR climb procedures commonly used by many local pilots during low stratus conditions. The pilot had been observed using the "Highway 152 climb" many times during the preceding years.
Pilot Actions and Flight History
There is no record of the pilot attempting to obtain a "pop-up" IFR to VFR clearance. The pilot flew an average of 2 hours each working day.
Accident Location
The aircraft ended up on a hillside, consistent with its observed heading and the witness report of entering clouds near the base of the hill.