Primary finding
Probable cause
An inadvertent encounter with rain and icing conditions. Factors in this accident included environmental conditions consisting of rain, icing, and darkness, and the pilot's overconfidence in his abilities to deal with the encountered weather conditions.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
After receiving a weather briefing, the commercial/instrument rated pilot, the sole occupant, departed on a night cross country flight over mountainous terrain. The forecasted weather conditions included scattered clouds at 4,000 to 6,000 feet, broken clouds at 8,000 feet with a freezing level of 7,000 feet. No flight plan was filed. No further contact with the airplane was found until the wreckage of the airplane was located 7 days after departure. Witnesses in the area of the accident reported continuous rain on the night of the accident. The last ntap radar data of the airplane showed a descent from 8,000 feet to 7,400 feet before contact was lost. A meteorological study of the accident area revealed areas of light rain with a freezing level of 6,300 feet.
Source record
Factual narrative
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