Departure and Radar Track
At 1502, a VFR target departed Longmont, Colorado, heading westbound. Radar data showed the target making a left 360-degree turn at 1513, climbing from 10,700 to 10,900 feet, then continuing westward and climbing to 11,200 feet. Radar contact was lost at 1518.
Wreckage Discovery
The wreckage was located approximately one month later, about half a mile from the last radar position of the target, in an area of 12,000 to 13,000-foot mountains.
Weather Conditions
Two AIRMETs were in effect for Colorado at the time. They called for occasional mountain obscurement in clouds and precipitation, moderate updrafts and downdrafts over the mountains due to developing mountain wave activity, occasional moderate turbulence below 20,000 feet, isolated severe turbulence below 15,000 feet, and the potential for low-level wind shear over the eastern slopes of the Rockies due to strong gusty west-northwesterly low-level flow near the surface.
Witness Report
A witness located 10 miles south of the accident site reported that on the day of the accident, surface winds in the area were approximately 60 mph with "a lot of debris blowing along the ground."
Flight Planning
There was no record of the pilot obtaining a weather briefing or filing a flight plan.