What happened
During a preflight weather briefing, the pilot was advised that Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flight was not recommended. The pilot initially intended to find an instructor or an instrument-rated pilot to accompany him to his destination; however, approximately two hours later, the pilot departed the airport alone. The pilot's plan for the flight was to either return to the departure point or divert to an alternate airport if weather conditions deteriorated during the flight.
While en route, the pilot used a highway as a navigational reference. As the aircraft encountered fog, the pilot lost sight of the ground. In an attempt to turn the aircraft around, the nose pitched down. The pilot reported that the loss of altitude was caused by winds near the nearby mountains, which may have created wind shear. Because the aircraft was already flying at a slower than normal airspeed, this encounter caused a loss of altitude. Upon attempting to recover from the descent, the pilot observed trees in the flight path and decided to intentionally fly the aircraft into the trees.
The pilot was not injured in the accident.