Accident Overview
A Cessna 172I collided with mountainous terrain while operating in instrument meteorological conditions. The accident sparked a fire in the area. Firefighters were initially unable to precisely locate the fire because low ceilings and fog obscured the mountaintops. A helicopter was dispatched to assist in locating the fire but had to turn back due to deteriorating weather. The fire was eventually extinguished as night fell. The cause of the fire—the airplane accident—was not discovered until daylight the following day.
Weather Conditions
Two weather observation facilities at local airports bracketing the area reported a 2,000 ft overcast ceiling. One station, located five miles away at an elevation of 650 ft MSL, and another, 14 miles away at an elevation of 96 ft MSL, both provided these reports. The accident site elevation was approximately 1,485 ft MSL. The obscuring low ceilings and fog hampered response efforts.
Response Efforts
Firefighters on the ground faced challenges due to the low cloud ceiling and fog that hid the mountain peaks. A helicopter was dispatched to help pinpoint the fire location but was forced to turn around because of the adverse weather. The fire continued burning until it was finally extinguished during the evening. It was not until the following morning, when daylight improved visibility, that responders discovered the fire originated from the airplane wreckage.