Incident Overview
A pilot departed from a private airport at Flying M Ranch for a local personal flight. Ground personnel expected the flight to last about 2.5 to 3 hours. When the aircraft failed to return, it was reported missing and a search was initiated. No emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was received.
Search and Discovery
The Civil Air Patrol suspended search activities after approximately one month. About one year later, a hiker discovered some of the pilot's personal effects. An aerial search subsequently located the aircraft wreckage approximately 0.5 mile from the personal effects. The accident occurred in remote mountainous terrain at an elevation of 10,000 feet.
Radar Data and Witness
After the wreckage was discovered, a review of radar data from September 3, 2007, revealed a track that ended about 1 mile northwest of the accident site. This 20-minute track showed the aircraft flying south along the crest of a mountain range with elevations greater than 13,000 feet. However, during the search efforts, aircraft had flown over the accident location but did not see the wreckage. Additionally, the 20-minute track had initially been ruled out due to a witness report of seeing the airplane near Yerington at the time of the track. The witness reported the time based on a telephone call with a friend; later, it was determined from the telephone company’s time log that the witness-reported time was off by 1 hour.
Wreckage Examination
Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane was on a northerly heading at impact, indicating that the pilot had executed a 180-degree turn after radar contact was lost. Ground scars and distribution of the heavily fragmented wreckage indicated that the airplane was traveling at a high speed when it impacted in a right wing low, near level pitch attitude. A postimpact fire consumed the fuselage, with the exception of its steel frame. The wings were fragmented into numerous pieces. The ELT was destroyed. Damage signatures on the propeller blades and the engine crankshaft indicated that the engine was operating at impact. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any malfunctions or failures that would have prevented normal operation.
Meteorological Conditions
Visual meteorological conditions existed in the accident area at the time of the accident. Mean winds at 10,000 feet were from 220 degrees at 15 to 20 knots; some gusts of 25 to 30 knots may have occurred. Moderate turbulence and downdrafts of at least 400 feet per minute probably occurred at the time and in the area of the accident. The magnitude of the downdrafts likely exceeded the climb capability of the airplane, which, at a density altitude of 13,000 feet, was about 300 feet per minute.