What happened
An on-demand charter flight carrying the pilot and two passengers crashed in a remote, mountainous area. The flight was operating an aircraft equipped with floats. Approximately 55 minutes after the aircraft departed for its intended destination, an emergency locator transmitter signal was detected in the vicinity of the target area.
Following reports that the flight was overdue, search teams were deployed to the region. Roughly two and a remote half hours after the initial departure, rescuers discovered the wreckage at an altitude of approximately 2,850 feet. The investigation determined that the aircraft type had struck terrain situated below the crest of a steep ridge. The search and rescue efforts were complicated by worsening weather conditions during the operation.
Findings
At the time of the accident, the area was experiencing low cloud ceilings. The local weather forecast had issued an AIRMET for marginal VFR conditions, noting that mountain obscuration was expected due to the presence of clouds and precipitation. The primary factor in the accident was terrain impact during flight in low-visibility conditions.