Incident Overview
An airplane collided with a vehicle while the pilot was attempting a precautionary landing on a highway. The incident occurred after the pilot encountered low stratus cloud conditions that hampered efforts to find an alternate airport.
Sequence of Events
The pilot initially reached the destination area but was confronted with a low stratus cloud condition. He diverted to another airport and landed. After contacting an operator at the original destination, who reported visual flight operations with cloud bases around 1,500 to 2,000 feet, the pilot departed the diversionary airport and headed back. Unable to descend through or maneuver around the stratus, he returned to the original diversionary airport, which had become covered by the stratus deck, along with other local airports.
Realizing fuel was too low to reach an airport in visual conditions, the pilot contacted Oakland Air Traffic Control Center for assistance. The center provided vectors toward airports, but due to the weather, the pilot could not locate them. A consensus was reached to land the airplane as soon as possible before fuel exhaustion.
The pilot spotted a forestry camp with a windsock near a highway. He successfully landed on the highway; however, the highway had a curve that prevented him from seeing an oncoming vehicle. He attempted to avoid the vehicle, but the wing tip clipped it, causing him to lose control and collide with trees.
Findings
The pilot's decision to land on the highway was driven by low fuel and inability to reach an airport. The curvature of the highway obscured the view of the vehicle, leading to the collision. No further causal factors were identified in the source.