20010226004049A

(-23) Pilot departed gunnison, Colorado at 1930 UTC, enroute to fresno, California. Aircraft did not arrive, ELT signal received and civil air patrol found wreckage 10 NE of Green River, Utah. A radar plot first shows the a/ c at 15,100 feet at 2002 UTC and as high as 22,100 feet at 2127 UTC and then 14,100 feet at 2128 UTC. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of an oxygen system on board. The wreckage exhibited evidence of hitting the ground (and a tree) in a spinning action. (.4) on February 26, 2001, at 1429 mountain standard time, a Beech V35B, N4637M, was destroyed following impact with terrain during cruise near Green River, Utah. The non-instrument rated private pilot, the sole occupant in the airplane, was fatally injured. The airplane was being operated by the pilot under title 14 CFR part 91. The cross-country personal flight originated from gunnison, Colorado, approximately 1 hour 45 minutes before the accident. Visual meteorological conditionts prevailed for the takeoff; however, the meterological conditions at the accident site are unknown. The pilot had not filed a flight plan; however, family members said the pilot was en ro ute to fresno, California. The pilot arrived in gunnison, Colorado, on February 18, 2001, to ski at crested butte ski resort (elevation 8,900 feet). Airport personnel said the airplane was hangared for the next eight nights, and the main fuel tanks were topped off with 17.9 gallons of 100LL on the morning of the accident. They said that the pilot studied the weather and flight planned for over an hour. One airport employee said that the pilot had been to gunnison before, and appeared alert and confident about his flight. According to FAA air route traffic control center (ARTCC) radar data, the airplane was first identified at 1302:13, at 15,800 feet approximately 18 nautical miles (NM) west of gunnison. The data indicates that the airplane tracked westbound and continued to climb to 20,600 feet at 1358:02. At 1413:04, the airplane performed a left 270 degree turn and leveled off at 21,600 feet on a north bound heading. The airplane's track veered west and then north; at 1427:09, the airplane reached a maximum altitude to 22,100 feet. Approximately 50 seconds later, at 1428:35, the radar data indicates the airplane was at 14,100 feet. Family members reported to federal aviation administration (FAA) authorities that the pilot had not reached his destination. The pilot was not using any FAA services at the time of the accident. An emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was received by U.S. Air force tracking satellites. The civil air patrol located the downed aircraft on February 27.