Beechcraft F35 | N5009B

The DTSB determines the Probable Cause of this accident to be pilot error, in that the non instrument rated accident pilot elected to takeoff during a time of deteriorating weather conditions, and his normal 246 nm trip from Angel Fire airport to Hobbs, nm routinely followed a route north and then east via Eagle Nest Dam and through the Cimarron Canyon. On the accident flight, the accident pilot elected to make a much earlier turn to the east into the face of rising terrain, likely to avoid storm clouds ahead. The wreckage was found at the end of a box canyon, at an elevation of 9,932 feet MSL, where he had a attempted a 180 degree course reversal and stalled the aircraft. The accident pilot was known to rely heavily of Foreflight and his ipad for all navigation and weather information.

The DTSB recommends that all pilots of all aircraft delay and avoid flights that are obviously well beyond the capability of both the pilot and the aircraft.