What happened
The airplane departed from the airfield at approximately 1300 Mountain Standard Time on New Year's Day. The pilot's family expected him to return before dark on the day of departure. When he did not arrive, they reported the aircraft missing. An unsuccessful search was suspended thirteen days later.
Approximately 16 months after the crash, the aircraft was discovered by a timber cruiser in a dense old growth forest. The airplane had burned and sustained substantial damage when it impacted a series of coniferous trees near the center of a steep sided box canyon, at the 5,000 foot level of a 7,000 foot mountain.
The investigation
The examination of the wreckage revealed that the aircraft had burned. It sustained substantial damage upon impact with a series of coniferous trees located near the center of a steep sided box canyon. The impact occurred at the 5,000 foot level of a 7,000 foot mountain.
Findings
The aircraft was found in a dense old growth forest. The location was characterized by a steep sided box canyon. The pilot's family reported the aircraft missing after he failed to return before dark on the day of departure.