What happened
The flight departed from an airport at 7,489' MSL without a filed flight plan. At the time of departure, the weather was overcast and surrounding mountain peaks were obscured by clouds. While attempting to climb through approximately 15,000' MSL within cloud cover, the aircraft encountered turbulence and began descending at a rate of about 2,500 feet per minute.
The aircraft emerged from the cloud bases at approximately 12,000' MSL, at which point the pilot attempted to land on a frozen lake located at about 11,800' MSL. The aircraft impacted the edge of the lake and came to rest on the ice with extensive damage. The Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) functioned as intended, though weather conditions prevented immediate aerial rescue.
The two occupants initially sustained minor injuries and remained in the aircraft for the first night. Lacking survival equipment and wearing light clothing, the occupants attempted to walk out the following day. During this period, the pilot lost a shoe and became increasingly disoriented. The occupants decided that the passenger should continue walking to seek help. After spending a second night under an overhang, the passenger located rescuers on the morning of the third day. Upon arrival, rescuers found that the pilot had expired from hypothermia.