What happened
A pilot rated for VFR flight requested an IFR clearance with the intention of climbing above weather, but subsequently continued the flight under VFR conditions. During the en route phase, two different air traffic control facilities monitored the pilot's transmissions. One facility reported receiving a transmission from the pilot stating he was inbound for a landing to refuel.
Witnesses observed the aircraft flying at a very low altitude and noted that the engine was cutting on and off. According to these reports, the engine restarted, and the aircraft entered a steep climb in an attempt to clear a mountain top. After clearing the peak, the aircraft impacted the ground in a steep nose-down attitude. The heading of the impact was in the reverse direction of the original flight path.
Records show that the aircraft had been topped off with fuel prior to departure. The aircraft is equipped with two 30-gallon main tanks and two 15-gallon auxiliary tanks. Prior to the accident, the flight had been ongoing for approximately two hours, with the aircraft burning approximately 14 gallons per hour at 75 percent cruise power.