Snowy Butte Aviation

The pilot and his two passengers had just arrived at the Jackson-Hole Airport (JAX) approximately 30 minutes prior to the accident. The pilot dropped off his passengers and stepped into operations for a short break. He then returned to the aircraft by himself for a return flight to California. It was a very dark night with a 2,000 feet overcast and no visible horizon. The pilot had departed Redding, CA at 1357 hours and had been on continuous flight duty from that time until the time of the accident. A witness stated the pilot seemed to be tired and hungry. The aircraft was observed making a normal night takeoff. Witnesses stated that as the aircraft turned from crosswind to downwind it appeared that the pilot had trouble controlling the aircraft. After the aircraft made a few extreme up and down maneuvers, it appeared to proceed to the east. The next time the aircraft was observed, it was again climbing and descending rapidly and subsequently impacted the ground in a vertical dive. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.