What happened
The flight originated at Pierce Ferry, Arizona, where the pilot and a single passenger departed to fly eastward along the course of the Colorado River. Operating at a low altitude, the aircraft headed toward Kanab Point. Documentation belonging to the pilot indicated that the intended route involved turning north for approximately 40 nautical miles, with a planned refueling stop in Kanab, Utah.
The bright yellow aircraft was last sighted by pilots of a helicopter tour company. Witnesses observed the plane flying low within the canyon, heading east roughly 10 nautical miles east of Kanab Point. No flight plan had been filed for this journey, and consequently, no one was aware that the aircraft was missing at the time.
The pilot's family did not notify Federal Aviation Administration personnel regarding the missing aircraft until four days after the fatal flight occurred. An aerial search was conducted but proved unsuccessful in locating the plane. It was not until 13 days after the crash that a military helicopter discovered the wreckage situated in a narrow canyon, approximately 3 nautical miles east of the location where it had been last seen. The aircraft impacted a canyon wall during the incident.
The investigation
Investigators examined the flight path and the circumstances surrounding the disappearance. The primary finding was that the aircraft crashed into a canyon wall while flying at low altitude in a narrow canyon environment. The lack of a filed flight plan meant that the delay in reporting the missing aircraft extended the time before recovery efforts could be fully coordinated.
Findings
The accident occurred during the en route phase of flight. Contributing factors included the decision to fly at low levels in a confined terrain area without a filed flight plan, which delayed the discovery of the crash site. The pilot and passenger were fatal in this event.