Preflight Weather Briefings
The pilot received three weather briefings from a flight service station prior to departure. The briefings included forecasts of thunderstorm activity along the planned route of flight and in the area of the departure airport. During the briefings, the weather briefer asked if the airplane was equipped with weather radar. The pilot stated that the aircraft was equipped with both a stormscope and weather radar.
Departure and Flight Path
The pilot departed the runway with a 15-20 knot tailwind. After departure, he did not follow the published instrument departure procedure and instead flew south toward mountainous terrain. The pilot made four brief transmissions to Air Traffic Control during the flight but was never in radar contact.
Accident Site and Weather Conditions
The wreckage was located about 200 feet from the summit, on the south side of the mountain. Witnesses at the airport and in the vicinity of the accident site reported hearing thunder around the time of the accident. Weather imagery and surface observations confirmed areas of heavy precipitation south of the airport, in the vicinity of the accident site, at the time of the accident.