What happened
The aircraft departed from runway 03 at Grand Canyon Airport in Arizona during nighttime conditions with no moonlight. Shortly after leaving the ground, the plane began a left turn. Witnesses were not present to observe the event directly.
About one and a half miles northwest of the airport, the aircraft struck trees. The impact occurred while the plane was in a nose-down attitude of approximately 45 degrees and banked 15 degrees to the left. The area where the crash occurred was unlit, and the visible horizon was not apparent at the time.
The pilot did not hold an instrument rating. Following the accident, a post-impact fire destroyed the pilot's logbook. However, a flight instructor reported seeing the logbook on the day of the incident. The instructor noted that the checkout flight was the first logged flight for the pilot within the previous year.