What happened
On the night of the accident, a commercial pilot was repositioning an aircraft from a departure airport to another destination. The flight occurred under dark night conditions with overcast skies and no discernible horizon. After departing, the pilot climbed to a cruise altitude maintained between 1,200 and 1,400 feet MSL.
Approximately 4 miles south of the departure airport, the aircraft struck an east-west ridgeline at an elevation of 1,200 feet MSL. The ridge in question rises from west to east, reaching a summit elevation of 1,714 feet MSL, and sits perpendicular to the direct flight path between the two airports.
The departure airport used for this flight was a newly commissioned facility located 3 miles east-northeast of the previous airport. This was only the pilot's second trip using the new airport and his first night departure from either the old or new location. Notably, a direct flight from the new airport requires a higher altitude to clear the ridgeline than a flight originating from the old airport, where the ridge elevation is less than 500 feet MSL.