CEN12FA639 · Mooney M20J

Radar data showed the airplane heading south after departure from the airport, turning to the southwest then west, and steadily climbing over rising mountainous terrain. The last radar target, about 2.8 miles east of the accident site, showed the airplane in a slow climb, about 11,200 feet mean sea level (msl), heading west. There were no witnesses to the accident and no reported distress calls from the airplane. A search was started when the airplane did not arrive at its destination, and 2 days later, the airplane was located about 300 feet below the top of a 12,300-foot ridgeline. Postaccident examination revealed ground scars and damage to the airplane indicating that it impacted the ground relatively flat and wings-level on an upslope heading, which is consistent with it being in a wings-level climb. No preimpact anomalies were discovered with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

The nearest weather reporting station was located at the departure airport about 65 miles northeast of the accident site, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of departure. Because the accident occurred in a remote area in rugged mountainous terrain, the precise weather conditions at the time could not be determined. However, hikers who were in the area of the accident site about the time of the accident reported dense fog and cloud obscuration along the ridgelines on the airplane's flightpath. These observations suggest that the airplane encountered deteriorating weather conditions once it climbed above 11,000 feet msl. Further, these observations, combined with the physical evidence indicating the airplane was in a wings-level climb at impact, are consistent with the pilot continuing flight into clouds and/or fog and losing visual contact with the terrain, resulting in the airplane impacting the slope in controlled flight.

Verbatim NTSB analysis and probable cause from the NTSB dataset