Accident Overview
On the night of the accident, a flight departed St. George, Utah, at 0100 mountain standard time, en route to Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC). No flight plan was filed. The weather forecast indicated instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) with mountain tops obscured.
Flight Progress
The pilot requested flight following from Salt Lake City Center and proceeded on the airways. Approximately 40 miles south of SLC, radar contact was lost. The controller then asked the pilot for his altitude, to which the pilot replied 10,500 feet. This was the last contact with the flight.
Search and Wreckage
After repeated attempts to reestablish communication, it was determined that the aircraft had gone down. A search was initiated and the wreckage was found 30 miles southwest of SLC at the 9,500-foot level of a mountain. Both occupants were killed.
Probable Cause
The official findings list the probable cause as an in-flight collision with terrain during normal cruise phase. Contributing factors include: dark night conditions, snow, low ceiling, mountainous/hilly terrain, improper in-flight planning/decision-making by the pilot in command, inadvertent loss of orientation by the pilot in command, failure to maintain proper altitude by the pilot in command, and attempted flight into known adverse weather by the pilot in command.