Overview
A certificated private pilot was conducting a cross-country flight that began at about 0830 hours and was planned to cover approximately 1,300 nautical miles. The pilot departed his last fuel stop at about 2000 hours, where a witness reported that the pilot appeared fatigued.
Route and Terrain
The route of flight was over high mountainous terrain that had a minimum flight elevation of 13,500 feet. The accident location was in a remote area of deep snow, with the airplane impacting a mountain side at 11,000 feet. At the accident location, the airplane was about 1,000 feet below the mountain ridge line.
Emergency Signal and Search
An emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was received at 0024 hours, located 105 miles west of the last departure airport. Search personnel located the airplane at 11,000 feet. The time and location of the accident placed the airplane in an area that did not have any ground or moon illumination.
Findings
The airplane impacted a mountain side in a remote area of deep snow. The pilot had appeared fatigued to a witness at the last fuel stop. The accident occurred at night in an area without ground or moon illumination.