Flight Details
The pilot departed Centennial Airport, elevation 5,883 feet, on a VFR flight to practice multiple instrument approaches at night. Prior to departure, he told his wife that he would turn the cockpit lights up bright to facilitate instrument training.
Sequence of Events
After completing two ILS approaches, the pilot requested from ATC two turns in the holding pattern before flying additional approaches. The controller cleared him for practice holding and assigned an altitude of 9,000 feet. During the inbound track of 347 degrees, radar data indicated that the airplane descended from its assigned altitude to 7,600 feet. No ATC intervention occurred during this descent.
Subsequently, the pilot requested to depart the initial approach fix to the southeast for approximately 15 nautical miles at 8,500 feet. The controller cleared the request but did not terminate radar services. The pilot flew south for approximately 8 nautical miles, then turned to a heading of 210 degrees.
Accident
Approximately five minutes after the turn, the airplane impacted a mountain. No further details regarding injuries, damage, or aircraft identification are available from the source.