Incident Overview
A pilot was flying two relatives and a friend on a flight over mountainous terrain. According to the pilot, he flew up a canyon. As he approached the upper end, he discovered that the airplane could not climb fast enough to clear the terrain and there was not enough room to turn around. An emergency landing was made in a stand of trees.
Damage and Rescue
As the airplane descended through the trees, the wings, tail, and engine were severed, but the cabin section remained intact. The emergency locator transmitter (ELT) activated, and search personnel rescued the survivors the following morning.
Environmental Conditions
The elevation of the accident site was about 7,900 feet. Density altitude was estimated to be about 10,000 feet.