Flight Plan and Departure
The pilot planned a cross-country flight from Red Bluff, California, to Mesa, Arizona, with an intermediate refueling stop at Bishop, California. At Bishop, the pilot filled the fuel tanks to capacity and departed southward down the Owens Valley.
Observations by CFI
A Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) observed the aircraft's downwind departure and noted that the aircraft was climbing at a rate of 100 feet per minute.
The Accident
After flying for several miles, the pilot turned toward an area of deceptively slow-rising terrain of a mountain pass. The pilot entered the pass at a low altitude. The road's elevation increased and its direction began switching back and forth. The aircraft subsequently crashed and burned upon colliding with the rocky mountain, 150 feet above the highway.
Environment
The density altitude at the time was over 9,000 feet.