Incident Details
A pilot volunteered the use of his airplane for Flights For Life, Inc. to transport blood to an Indian reservation airport. A courier from the hospital arrived at the airport around 2025, expecting the airplane's arrival about 2035. Around 2030, the pilot-operated runway lights came on. Within 3 to 5 minutes, the courier observed an airplane's lights heading toward the airport from the south to north, at an estimated altitude of about two telephone poles above the airport. The airplane continued north and did not land.
Weather and Conditions
The courier noted that winds were rocking her car and estimated them from the west. After waiting some time without the airplane's arrival, she notified the hospital and departed. At the time of her departure, she reported the winds as calm. The night was dark with few ground references.
Recovery
The airplane was located the next day on the downwind leg in mountainous/hilly terrain.