Flight and Loss of Contact
The accident airplane was en route to its destination during dark night, with mountainous terrain to its left. The pilot, who held approximately 140 total flight hours and lacked an instrument rating, was descending to 3,500 feet MSL when the airplane deviated east from its planned course. An approach controller queried the pilot, who initially reported a heading of 045 degrees. When asked again, the pilot stated the heading was 107 degrees, corrected that it should be 025 degrees, and said he was making a left turn "towards my course." The controller then instructed the pilot to proceed on course and advised him to maintain "Ground avoidance, obstacle avoidance as you are in a 5,600 foot minimum vectoring altitude area." No further communications were received, and radar contact was lost shortly thereafter.
Radar data showed that the airplane's ground speed and track began fluctuating before the controller's query. After the pilot initiated the left turn, the altitude decreased, airspeed increased, and then radar contact ceased.
Wreckage and Examination
The wreckage was located on a mountainside at an elevation of 2,848 feet MSL. Investigators found no evidence of any preimpact mechanical failure or malfunction of the airframe or engine.
Pilot Experience and Environmental Conditions
The pilot had accumulated about 140 total flight hours and was not qualified for instrument flight. According to a report from another pilot to the approach controller, there was no visible horizon or ground lighting in the area where the radar contact was lost. The FAA's Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25) notes that "Unless a pilot has many hours of training in instrument flight, flight in reduced visibility or at night when the horizon is not visible should be avoided."