March's Aftermath Described A pilot's ill-fated attempt to fly up California's Owens Valley at night in marginal weather. It brought mail from several pilots with a more than academic connection to the subject. The Owens Valley is flanked on both sides by high mountains; local MEAs go above 15,000 feet. A highway running up the middle of the valley provides route guidance of a sort on clear nights; by staying west of the highway you can avoid several restricted areas on the valley's eastern side. The accident occurred when the pilot of a Vans RV-6A, having accepted a clearance to penetrate a narrow band of precipitation well above the freezing level, found himself losing power and decided to make an emergency landing at Inyok-ern, near the southern end of the valley. In darkness, he struck the last low ridge before emerging over the open desert.
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