Event Summary
A private pilot, who had recently received certification and accumulated 120 flight hours, rented an aircraft for a local flight. He failed to return within the allotted time. The aircraft wreckage was discovered the following morning in nearby mountainous terrain. The pilot and a passenger had flown out of state to a resort area for the day.
Flight Details
No record was found indicating that the pilot obtained preflight or inflight weather briefings. During the return flight at night, the pilot became lost and landed twice at different airports to reorient himself. The second landing occurred at a restricted military base.
After departing the military base, the pilot established contact with approach control and requested assistance to his destination airport, which was beneath an overcast. He declared that his fuel status was critical and expressed reluctance to return to a high desert area known to be suitable for VFR flight.
Final Moments
Approach control provided vectors as requested to the area of the destination airport. The pilot again became disoriented and the aircraft descended into clouds. The approach controller attempted to vector the flight away from high terrain, but the pilot had difficulty flying the headings provided. The aircraft subsequently collided with mountainous terrain.