DFW06LA088 · Beech C23

The 1,042-hour commercial pilot and the pilot rated passenger had flown into the airport in separate airplanes. The pilot rated passenger needed to leave his airplane at a facility to be painted, and the pilot was planning to fly the pilot rated passenger back to his home airport. Prior to taking off, a witness, who worked at the airport, talked to the pilot about delaying his departure due to the low cloud layer that surrounded the airport, and even offered to drive them home. The witness sensed the pilot was in a "hurry", so he suggested that if the pilot was going to depart, he would need to takeoff on the northeast runway, head east, and climb to an altitude of 4,000 feet to clear rising terrain. Shortly after, the witness observed the airplane taxiing to the runway. About 10 minutes later he got a call from the pilot rated passenger saying they had "crashed the airplane on a mountainside." The passenger said, that after they took off, they flew for approximately 8 miles before making a left turn toward the west. The pilot remained on this heading for approximately 10 miles and tracked the highway, that traveled through a valley. As they entered the valley, the passenger (who was using his handheld GPS) informed the pilot that they needed to climb to a higher altitude so they would clear the mountainous terrain that surrounded them. When the airplane reached a certain point in the valley, the pilot made a left turn toward the south proceeded toward a low point along the ridgeline of a mountain. The airplane entered the cloud layer and subsequently collided with terrain about 200 feet below the ridgeline. A witness, who was walking along the highway, observed the airplane flying "very low" in a westerly direction between two mountains. He then observed the airplane turn toward the south and disappear into "heavy fog." Moments later, the witness heard a "loud bang." A review of FAA records revealed that the pilot did not obtain a weather briefing or file an IFR flight plan prior to their departure. According to published airport information, pilots were informed about the mountains located to the north and south-southwest of the airport. In addition, a review of the Memphis Sectional Aeronautical Chart, revealed a warning to pilots stating: "Rapidly Rising Terrain-Use Caution During Periods of Low Ceiling and Visibility." Weather reported at the airport included wind from 280 degrees at 11 knots gusting to 17 knots, visibility 10 statue miles, and an overcast layer at 1,200 feet.

Verbatim NTSB analysis and probable cause from the NTSB dataset