Accident Overview
An aircraft crashed in mountainous terrain while being piloted by a non-instrument rated pilot during a flight conducted in marginal weather conditions. The subsequent investigation determined that the aircraft struck the ground in a steep nose-down, high-speed descent. No evidence of a preimpact or mechanical malfunction was found.
Weather Conditions
Approximately 31 miles east of the accident site, at Lewiston, Idaho, the weather was reported as 2,500 feet broken clouds, 4,000 feet overcast, with visibility of 15 miles. The elevation of that weather station was 1,438 feet, while the crash site elevation was about 4,800 feet.
About 3 miles west at Camp Wooten State Park, elevation 2,000 feet, rain began before dark at 1700 PST and continued through the time of the accident. At around 2000 PST, the precipitation changed to large hail and snow. Throughout this period, mountain tops were obscured by clouds.