Background
The pilot of a VFR flight filed a flight plan and received a weather briefing that included an AIRMET. The AIRMET contained precautionary information about instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), icing, and mountain obscuration in California. When the pilot opened the flight plan with a Flight Service Station (FSS), he was again briefed on the AIRMET.
Flight Plan and Route
The pilot planned to cruise at 8,500 feet mean sea level along published airways. The filed route included following V-394 from Dagget to the Aples intersection on a heading of 214 degrees, then turning to follow V-442 to Paradise on a heading of 192 degrees.
Accident Sequence
During the flight, after reaching the Aples intersection, the aircraft did not change course as filed. Instead, it continued in the same direction, as if still following V-394. About 21 miles beyond the Aples intersection, the aircraft impacted steep, rising terrain on the northeast slope of Mount Hardwood at an elevation of approximately 8,750 feet.
Weather and Terrain Considerations
For instrument flight near the crash site, the minimum en route altitude on V-394 was 11,500 feet. The pilot had recently taken flight training in preparation for an instrument rating. The aircraft’s emergency locator transmitter (ELT) activated, but aerial search and rescue operations were not possible on the day of the accident due to IMC weather in the mountains.
Conclusion
The aircraft continued on its original heading beyond the planned turn point and subsequently impacted mountainous terrain.