Communications with Flight Service
The pilot transmitted a mayday call, after which radar and radio communications were established with the Altoona Flight Service Station (FSS). The pilot reported being lost and requested vectors to an airport. He was given his location and asked to verify his altitude. The pilot stated he was at 3,300 feet, but recorded radar data indicated an altitude of 3,000 feet.
The controller inquired whether the pilot was IFR qualified and if the aircraft was equipped for IFR flight. The pilot replied that he was not IFR rated but that the airplane was equipped for IFR. He further reported that both fuel tanks were half full.
When asked if he was in good VFR flight conditions, the pilot responded, "negative sir in and out." Radar showed the airplane at 2,600 feet, and the controller advised that the emergency safe altitude was 2,500 feet. The pilot was also informed that the closest airport with acceptable ceilings was 20 to 25 miles to the northeast. The controller then asked if the pilot could maintain VFR conditions at 3,000 feet. The pilot never answered.
Last Radar Contacts
An ELT signal was heard, but communications were never reestablished. The last two radar returns indicated the airplane was heading in a southerly direction at altitudes of 2,600 feet and 2,700 feet.
Search and Wreckage Recovery
Searchers located the airplane wreckage the next morning at an elevation of 2,100 feet in rising mountainous terrain. The top of the mountain that the airplane impacted was 2,600 feet. Witnesses reported hearing a low-flying aircraft in the area just before the accident but could not see the airplane due to heavy clouds and fog.