Accident Flight Likely Encountered Moderate Mountain Wave Turbulence With Downdrafts As Strong As 500 Ft Per Minute
Analysis: After takeoff, the flight proceeded toward the intended destination airport. Position data initially depicted the airplane about 0.75 miles from the departure airport at 6,000 ft mean sea level. The final data point was recorded about 10 minutes later when the airplane was about 15 miles from the departure airport at an altitude of 9,400 ft msl. This was about 0.20 miles from the accident site. The pilot’s family informed local authorities that the flight was overdue, and the accident site was located the following morning.
Read More
