Accident Overview
A 21-year-old private pilot, who received his certificate 16 days before the accident, was operating an aircraft with a 44-year-old pilot-rated passenger. The passenger was a local charter pilot thoroughly familiar with the surrounding terrain. Both individuals were avid BASE jumpers, and the flight's purpose was to scout for possible jump sites.
The airport elevation was 4,553 feet above mean sea level (msl), with a temperature of 93.2°F. Computed density altitude was 7,407 feet msl. According to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) personnel, temperatures in the canyons were considerably higher than at the airport.
The wreckage was located five days later on a talus slope at a 'Y' between two canyons at an elevation of 4,275 feet msl, which was 145 feet above the canyon floor. The canyon floor was at 4,130 feet msl, and the canyon top was at 5,243 feet msl.
Examination of the accident site indicated the pilot was attempting to reverse course out of the canyon when the aircraft impacted terrain. The pilot had logged approximately 150 total flight hours, including 67 hours in the accident aircraft type.