Departure and Flight
The pilot departed Lee's Summit, Missouri, on the morning of the accident to visit family members in Kremmling, Colorado. While en route, he initiated flight following services with Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) and then Denver TRACON. At 1015:31, services were terminated, and the pilot was advised to re-contact Denver ARTCC for further advisories, but he failed to do so.
Loss of Radar Contact
The last National Track Analysis Program (NTAP) radar 'hit' of the accident airplane was recorded at 1019:23 at an altitude of 12,600 feet.
Witness Accounts and Weather
According to witnesses working several miles east of the accident site, they heard an airplane flying overhead traveling from east to west and low to the ground. However, low cloud cover, snow, and poor visibility prevented them from viewing the aircraft. A squall line 3 miles wide running north/south was passing through the area, with hail and cloud-to-cloud lightning. The mountains to the west and the direction in which the airplane was traveling were obscured.
Search and Discovery
At 1943, an alert notice (ALNOT) was issued. A search was initiated, and the aircraft was located at 1430 the following afternoon. The airplane was found along a 45-degree inclining slope at an elevation of 12,808 feet mean sea level on a glacier along the north face of Arapaho Peak on the east side of the Continental Divide.