Flight History
The pilot completed three takeoffs and landings at Long Beach before departing for French Valley Airport at Murrieta, California. During the cruise flight, he followed the 91 Freeway eastbound and turned southbound to follow Interstate 15.
Events Leading to Collision
As the pilot started to climb from 2,600 feet, he obtained the Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) information for French Valley. He noticed that he was off course but was unable to see any ground visual references. He turned on the landing and taxi lights and tuned in two VOR (very high frequency omni-directional radio range) stations to try and determine his position. While scanning for ground references, he suddenly noted trees in his flight path. He applied full forward throttle and started a climb; however, the airplane collided with trees on mountainous terrain.
Rescue
The occupants were rescued the following morning.