What happened
During a scheduled passenger flight through remote, snow-covered mountains, the pilot elected to operate under visual flight rules (VFR) following a weather briefing. The aircraft was carrying seven passengers at the time of the incident. While cruising at approximately 10,000 feet mean sea level, the pilot noted that visibility was decreasing. In an attempt to navigate by following a river, the pilot descended the aircraft to 2,500 feet mean sea level.
As the aircraft approached the airport, positioned roughly 10 miles southwest of the destination, the pilot climbed to 3,000 feet mean sea level to prepare for a straight-in approach. During this phase, the pilot reported that visibility remained obscured by clouds and snow, and the airport was not visible. The pilot also noted that flat light conditions made it difficult to judge the distance to the nearby mountains. Shortly after the climb, the aircraft struck rising terrain approximately 6 miles southwest of the airport.
Findings
Investigation into the accident revealed that the pilot encountered flat light and low-visibility conditions while flying at 3,000 feet mean sea level. Although surface conditions at the airport were rated as marginal VFR, weather records indicated mountain obscuration and reduced visibility caused by light snow and clouds along the flight path. A second pilot departing the same airport confirmed the presence of low visibility and flat light in the area. There were no reported mechanical failures or malfunctions on the aircraft prior to the impact with the terrain.