LAX87LA352

The plt & his daughter were believed to have depd his pvt airstrip on 11/22/86 or 11/23/86. They were rprtd missing on 11/24/86 & a search was begun, but the acft was not fnd until 8/19/88, when the wreckage was discovered by hunters. The crash site was located about 10 mi north of the plt's airstrip. An exam revealed the acft was traveling on a north- westerly heading when it struck a tree near the top of a ridge. The acft then crashed to the ground & came to rest against a tree on the ridge. The acft was destroyed by impact & fire. No preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure was found during an exam of the badly burned wreckage. The acdnt occurred on hilly/mountainous terrain at an elev of about 1800'. At the aprx date of the acdnt, the wx was generally VFR. About 9 mi west at ukiah, CA, there was early morning fog & ceilings of 2000' to 3000' on 11/22/86, which changed to scattered clouds in the afternoon. On 11/23/86, no cld layers were rprtd BEL0W 20,000'. The plt was rprtd to be despondent ovr sepn fm his wife, 2 wks bfr the acdnt.