What happened
A commercial certificated air taxi pilot, the sole occupant of the aircraft, was scheduled to perform a domestic passenger flight. The mission involved departing from an initial airport to an intermediate airport located 14 miles south, where the pilot was intended to pick up two passengers for a continuing flight.
The planned route traveled along fjord-type terrain characterized by steep mountain slopes over a long inlet of water. The flight to the intermediate airport typically required approximately 10 minutes. Before departure, the pilot delayed the takeoff by about 10 minutes while waiting for weather conditions along the route to improve.
After departing, the pilot reported via radio that the aircraft was at a standard visual reporting point, situated roughly four miles south of the departure airport. The aircraft failed to arrive at the intermediate airport, and no further communications were received. An aerial search subsequently located the wreckage in steep, forested terrain approximately 300 feet above the inlet water. The aircraft had collided with several trees before descending to the ground.
Findings
At the time of the accident, visual meteorological conditions were present at the intermediate airport; however, low cloud conditions prevailed along the flight route. An automated weather observation system (ASOS) located 5 miles southwest of the crash site reported visibility of four statute miles in light freezing rain and mist, with an overcast ceiling of 800 feet. The temperature was 32 degrees F with a dew point of 31 degrees F. Terminal and area forecasts for the departure airport had indicated low visibilities in light rain and mist, and an AIRMET had been issued for mountain obscuration due to clouds and precipitation.