Accident Overview
An airplane conducting a cross-country flight across northern Arizona struck trees and mountainous terrain after encountering adverse weather. The aircraft was receiving VFR flight advisories from Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). While en route near Flagstaff at 11,500 feet mean sea level (msl), the pilot reported to the controller that he could not maintain visual flight due to clouds, rain, and ice, and requested an IFR clearance into Flagstaff.
Communications Disruption
Recorded air-to-ground communications from the airplane were described as scratchy and of poor quality. The investigation determined that on the morning of the accident, an underground fiber optic communication line had been cut, disrupting air-to-ground and ground-to-air communications in northern Arizona, causing broken and garbled services. Landline communications were also affected, requiring a nearby Flight Service Station to relay messages between the tower and ARTCC.
Sequence of Events
The controller informed the pilot of rime ice reports at 13,000 feet on his course. The pilot responded that his altitude was 12,000 feet and he was accumulating some ice. The controller then advised the pilot of the airport's location. The pilot's reply was broken and unreadable. The controller asked if the pilot had the airport in sight; the pilot replied that he was in some clouds. The pilot requested to switch to the tower frequency and land, and the controller issued a VFR transponder code and handed the flight off to the tower.
About two minutes later, the pilot reported back to the controller, stating he could not see the ground and wanted an IFR clearance into the airport. The controller instructed the pilot to climb to 11,000 feet and enter the published holding pattern southeast of the FLG VOR on the 113-degree radial. The pilot acknowledged, and this was the last communication received from the aircraft.
Wreckage and Impact
The wreckage was located 10 miles north of the VOR at 8,900 feet msl. Impact signatures and ground scars indicated that the aircraft collided with mature pine trees in a near wings-level attitude while in a shallow descent. A post-crash fire destroyed the cockpit, including the navigation radios and related instrumentation.
VOR Frequency Change
On December 6, 2002, the Flagstaff visual omni range (VOR) navigational aid frequency was changed from 108.2 to 113.85. A partially burned Phoenix sectional chart dated November 1, 2001, was recovered from the wreckage, listing 108.2 as the VOR frequency. No other navigational reference material was recovered from the burned wreckage.