Incident Overview
A flight of two aircraft departed a private airstrip located in an area of mountainous terrain. While en route to their destination, the flight encountered low clouds and fog. The pilot of the accident aircraft radioed to the other pilot that the clouds were "pretty low" in the valley that he was attempting to traverse. The other pilot inquired if the accident pilot could turn around. The accident pilot responded that he was too low, followed by a statement that fog was clear to the ground. Shortly thereafter, communications with the accident pilot were lost.
Wreckage Findings
The wreckage was discovered in an area of mountainous terrain. Examination of the wreckage site revealed the aircraft was positioned in an approximate 30-degree nose-down attitude relative to the terrain, with the aft end of the fuselage raised off the ground. The empennage section was folded over to the left side. No evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction was noted during the post-accident examination of the wreckage.
Investigation
Investigators documented the wreckage and noted the absence of any pre-impact mechanical anomalies. The investigation focused on the weather conditions and pilot communications, as the pilot had reported low clouds and fog shortly before the loss of contact. The specific aircraft type, registration, engine count, date, operator, location, occupants, injuries, and damage items were not specified in the available information.