Flight Sequence
The pilot stated that he had been cleared for and had flown the VOR runway 30 approach. Upon arriving at the missed approach point, he did not have the runway or the airport environment in sight. He mentioned that he had heard an aircraft that preceded him to the airport reported the weather to be better to the south and west of the airport, and that pilot had reported seeing the airport from the west side.
Attempted Maneuver
After arriving at the missed approach point without visual contact, the pilot continued to the west side of the airport and made a left turn, describing it as a 'downwind for runway 02.' He stated his intention was to use the localizer frequency to help locate the runway. He then tuned the number one navigation receiver to the localizer frequency for the ILS runway 02 approach. The pilot believed that a left turn would align the aircraft with runway 02, and that if he did not see the runway, the turn would place him back near the missed approach point, from where he could begin the missed approach.
Outcome
The pilot told FAA inspectors that he did not acquire the runway or airport environment visually during this attempt. He noted that the number two navigation receiver was tuned to the VOR frequency. He did not remember centering the course deviation indicator (CDI) for navigation to the VOR for the missed approach, nor did he recall the localizer needle (navigation receiver number one) being centered. The pilot offered no explanation as to how the aircraft ended up about eight miles north of the airport on the mountainside.