At about 1025 Pacific time, the airplane collided with mountainous terrain and was consumed by a post-impact fire. The flight instructor and student pilot sustained fatal injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. A witness observed the airplane flying from right to left just above the ridgeline. The airplane then made an abrupt, swooping and descending left turn toward her. As the airplane began to roll out of the turn, its wings rocked from side to side. The airplane then immediately descended nose-down into the ground. Throughout the flight, the airplane did not appear to be trailing smoke or vapors and its engine was producing a sound consistent with high power.
