Accident Overview
A non-instrument rated pilot was conducting a night visual flight rules (VFR) flight when the airplane impacted terrain approximately 40 miles northwest of Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI). The accident occurred after the pilot had received a standard weather briefing from a flight service station prior to departure.
Weather and Flight Briefing
The pilot telephoned a flight service station and received a standard weather briefing before departing. The briefing included information about cloud cover along portions of the route. Specifically, the clouds were described as solid broken to overcast, with bases between 3,000 and 4,000 feet above mean sea level (msl) and tops at 6,000 feet. At the time of the accident, visual meteorological conditions prevailed at TRI. However, snowfall was reported in the mountainous area near the accident site.
Flight Path and Radar Data
The flight proceeded uneventfully through the TRI airspace. Review of radar data revealed that the airplane was cruising in a northwesterly direction at 4,500 feet msl. The last recorded radar return was approximately 6 miles southeast of the accident site. The wreckage was located at an elevation of 3,050 feet.