Departure and Flight
The pilot did not obtain a weather briefing, file a flight plan, or refuel the aircraft prior to departing for Eagle, Colorado. The aircraft departed at 1800 under visual flight rules (VFR). The pilot reported over Minturn, Colorado, at 2019.
Weather Conditions
Witnesses in Vail, Colorado, stated that weather conditions were poor from 2000 to 2045, with heavy wet snow falling and visibility of 100 feet or less. One witness described the conditions as a blizzard. Another witness observed an aircraft around this time at low altitude just over a ridge, being buffeted by the wind and laboring at high power.
Radio Communications
About an hour before the accident, the pilot requested weather information by radio. The weather was reported as ceilings lowering with mountain tops obscured and weather deteriorating. The flight acknowledged the report at 1920. The pilot requested weather again at 2019. The Eagle Flight Service Station provided the weather for Eagle, and the pilot acknowledged. There were no further radio communications with the pilot.
Accident
There were no witnesses to the accident.