Incident Summary
A pilot attempting to cross a 12,560-foot mountain pass encountered a severe downdraft that forced the aircraft into the ground within seconds. The pilot described the event as akin to being swatted by a fly. Rescue teams reached the pilot approximately 25 hours after the incident.
Pilot Account
The pilot stated that he approached the pass with 500 to 600 feet of clearance. During the descent, he reported that the flight controls "had no feel in them." The pilot estimated the wind was blowing from the east at 40 to 50 miles per hour. He later remarked that he should have "possibly [flown] higher or not [have] attempt[ed] to fly over the ridge at all."
Witness Reports
A pilot with a glider rating, who was flying within 5 miles of the accident site, reported that lenticular clouds were present over the mountain throughout the day and that the wind was blowing from east-southeast to west. A law enforcement officer who drove up the mountain on the night of the incident observed wind blowing westward down the mountain at 40 to 60 miles per hour.
Environmental Conditions
The computed density altitude at the site was approximately 12,306 feet.