Incident Summary
An airplane was dispatched to pick up a stranded flightcrew that had landed at the destination airport, approximately 70 miles from the home base. Fog had formed in the area. The airplane circled the airport above the fog layer but was unable to land due to the fog. After circling, the airplane was heard proceeding eastbound until the sound of the engines disappeared. An emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was received by another airplane on the 290-degree radial, 19 miles from the Milsap VOR. There were no reported eyewitnesses.
Wreckage Examination
The wreckage was located the next morning on the eastern ledge of a granite ridgeline of a north-south oriented hill rising approximately 200 feet above the surrounding terrain. The wreckage was scattered for 270 feet on a heading of 240 degrees. Signatures at the initial point of impact indicate that the airplane contacted trees and terrain in controlled flight in a slight left wing down attitude. Flight control continuity was established. The landing gear and flaps were found in the retracted position.
Additional Details
The airplane had been dispatched specifically to retrieve the stranded crew. The fog conditions prevented a landing, leading to the airplane circling and then departing eastbound. The ELT signal aided in locating the wreckage the following morning. The controlled flight into terrain occurred on a hill with a granite ridgeline, and the wreckage path suggests a relatively shallow impact angle.