Flight Departure and Initial Conditions
The pilot departed mid-morning for a 63-mile flight to his home airport, heading northwest. Weather at the departure airport was visual flight rules (VFR), but conditions en route were marginal VFR, and no weather report was available for the destination.
Flight Path and Communications
GPS data showed the airplane departed and flew west along a highway corridor at about 1,000 feet above ground level (agl) through a mountain pass. For most of the flight, altitude ranged between 900 and 1,200 feet agl. Twenty-nine minutes after takeoff, the track turned southwest away from an area of concentrated precipitation, heading directly toward an isolated mountain peak rising about 1,000 feet above surrounding terrain. The pilot contacted ATC, reported his position, and requested traffic advisories through local airspace to his destination. About 6 minutes later, he stated he was having difficulty maintaining VFR and asked for an instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance. At that moment, GPS data showed the airplane within 50 feet of terrain. No further transmissions were received.
Accident Sequence
The final GPS position was recorded 1 minute later at 500 feet agl, about half a mile from the crash site. Terrain in that area rose steeply and intersected the flight path over the remaining half mile. An airport 4 miles away, on flat terrain 1,000 feet below the mountain peak, reported few clouds at 900 feet agl, overcast at 1,500 feet agl, with variable ceiling between 1,200 and 1,800 feet agl and drizzle. Weather radar showed precipitation at the accident site elevation and location, indicating probable mountain obscuration.
Probable Cause
The official finding states the probable cause was: The pilot’s decision to continue visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in an in-flight collision with mountainous terrain.