Accident Details
The aircraft was on a personal flight in weather conditions featuring multiple cloud layers that hid the mountains from view. It struck rising terrain roughly 1800 feet below the summit of a ridge. At approximately the same time, a Civil Air Patrol (CAP) aircraft on a search mission in the area reported multiple cloud layers between Medford and Sunriver, Oregon. Both pilots involved were CAP members who had previously flown search missions in the Medford and Sunriver region.
Search and Wreckage
The aircraft departed during a snow shower with four persons aboard. No flight plan was filed, and no record of a weather briefing was found. When it failed to arrive at Medford, a search was initiated. The search was later suspended because no flight signals were received. Six days after departure, a hunter discovered the wreckage.
The crash site is in a heavily wooded area with trees exceeding 150 feet in height. A four-foot section of the left wing was found near a forest service road. The main wreckage was located approximately 900 feet away on a magnetic bearing of 180 degrees, at the 3,750-foot level of a 5,580-foot mountain.
Investigation
During the investigation, no medical or mechanical reason for the accident was found.