SEA94LA133

The pilot reported leaving on a return trip to his home base in st. maries, Idaho. He tried to follow a highway through a valley to avoid adverse weather and mountain obscuration. The pilot reported that when he turned a corner, he saw the ceiling had lowered to a point where he could no longer continue, and tried to execute a 180 degree turn back to the east. In doing so, he entered the cloud and collided with the terrain.

On May 28, 1994, approximately 1915 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N30608, sustained substantial damage when it collided with terrain while maneuvering through Lookout Pass, near Mullan Pass, Idaho. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, received serious injuries in the accident. The personal flight had departed Missoula, Montana, in visual meteorological conditions, en route to St. Maries, Idaho. No flight plan had been filed, and the ELT did not activate.

The pilot stated that he was maneuvering to reverse course after encountering a progressive decline in the ceiling. He said he came around a narrow valley which was blocked by weather, and he attempted a 180 degree turn back to the east to avoid a bank of clouds ahead of him, but was unable to avoid the cloud. He stated that the aircraft was completely within the cloud during the turn and it collided with the heavily forested terrain. VFR flight had not been recommended, according to FAA FSS documentation.