Weather Conditions
On April 10, 2003, prior to departure, the private pilot contacted the Macon Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) for a weather briefing for a flight from Thomasville, Georgia, to Detroit, Michigan. The pilot described the weather as a "swirling mess" and inquired about how far west he would need to fly to avoid it. At 1438, Macon AFSS advised the pilot that the lowest cloud conditions between Thomasville and Gadsden, Alabama, were twelve hundred feet, based on an observation that was twenty-three minutes old. The current observation indicated deteriorating conditions, with the ceiling dropping two hundred feet.
A witness reported that between 1630 and 1700 central standard time on April 10, a high-wing tail wheel type airplane flew over their home. The witness recalled that the weather consisted of low clouds, rain, and fog. Several pilot reports recorded within a 60-mile radius around the time of the accident, all from pilots operating under instrument flight rules, indicated a consistent overcast layer base at 1,500 feet mean sea level, with tops varying from 5,500 feet west over Birmingham to 11,500 feet west of Atlanta.
Discovery of Wreckage
On April 11, 2003, at 1045 central standard time, a hiker in Cheaha State Park discovered the wreckage of the downed airplane along a hiking trail at approximately the 1,800-foot level of Hernandez Peak. The aircraft was a high-wing tail wheel type airplane.
Pilot Information
Local authorities found the private pilot seated in the right front seat and the student pilot seated in the left front seat of the airplane.