Accident Details
At approximately 1400 Pacific Daylight Time, a pilot was proceeding under visual flight rules without a flight plan and with no record of a preflight weather briefing. The aircraft was northbound through Siskiyou Pass along Interstate 5, traveling from California into Oregon. The pilot reported suddenly entering clouds and then seeing trees. The aircraft subsequently collided with rising terrain located half a mile west of the point where Interstate 5 turns sharply north from west around the shoulder of Mount Ashland.
Pilot Actions
The aircraft's emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was received by satellite, and ground units were in the process of tracking the signal when the pilot turned off the ELT at approximately 2130 PDT to conserve the battery. The pilot did not turn the ELT on again.
Aftermath
The following morning, the pilot made his way to Interstate 5, where state police sighted him.