Flight and Radar Data
The accident involved a non-instrument rated private pilot conducting a cross-country flight at night in visual meteorological conditions. The pilot was receiving flight following from air traffic control and made a routine radio check, which was the last transmission. Radar data indicated that approximately 23 seconds after this radio call, the airplane entered a climb. The climb persisted for 3 minutes 37 seconds at an average rate of 414 feet per minute. Subsequently, the airplane began to descend and turn to the right. The final radar return placed the airplane about 0.6 nautical miles south of the accident site, descending through 8,100 feet at a rate of 2,166 feet per minute.
Wreckage and Examination
No witnesses were present at the time of the accident. The wreckage was located two days later in heavily wooded, mountainous terrain near the crest of an 1,800-foot ridge line. The airplane was found fragmented along an upsloping path extending approximately 500 feet from the initial point of contact with trees. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate but was not instrument rated. An autopsy and toxicological testing revealed no evidence of physical impairment or incapacitation.