Extra 300-L | N22MW

The DTSB determines the Probable Cause of this accident to be Pilot Error, in that the pilot while attempting to reach his destination of Ephrata, Washington did operate the accident aircraft in marginal VFR weather conditions, and likely was forced to make an abrupt and descending left turn in order to require a visual reference. The aircraft, at high speed and high rate of descent, flew into trees located at the top of a north facing slope that varied between 45 and 60 degrees in grade. It is likely that the pilot never saw the terrain due to being temporarily in solid IMC conditions.

The DTSB recommends that all pilots of all aircraft take proper conservative action in preflight planning to avoid starting a flight in mountainous regions where weather and visibility can change in mere moments. The DTSB also recommends that pilots avail themselves of in flight terrain avoidance tools such as GPS maps and portable devices that can depict terrain threats as compared with current aircraft altitude and position.