What happened
The incident began while the pilot was making a fuel stop at Elko Regional Airport in Nevada. During this stop, he requested a weather briefing for a planned Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flight. The intended destination was not fixed; he was considering either Lander, Wyoming, or Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
The Flight Service Station (FSS) provided critical meteorological data, warning of adverse weather conditions affecting both potential routes. Specifically, the briefing included flight advisories for mountain obscuration, occasional severe turbulence, and severe icing within clouds and precipitation. Despite these explicit warnings, the pilot chose to depart without filing a flight plan or specifying a final destination.
While en route, the pilot contacted the Cedar City Flight Advisory Facility for an update on conditions. He was again advised of adverse weather along his path of flight. The flight failed to arrive at Lander, Wyoming, prompting authorities to initiate a search. However, the search was suspended after ten days due to the lack of a filed flight plan or confirmed destination information.
The wreckage was located by a local resident thirteen days after the mishap. It was found underneath a seven-strand, 230-kilovolt electric transmission line. Examination of the aircraft revealed electric arc burn marks consistent with impact with the electric wires.