The aircraft departed Hot Springs at 15:45 and climbed to an altitude below the clouds. Just over an hour after takeoff the Lodestar struck a mountain at an altitude of 2,338 feet, 162 feet below the top. Investigation revealed that the aircraft struck the east side of a 20-degree mountain slope on a heading of 65 degrees magnetic while flying nearly parallel to the mountain ridge. The aircraft, in level attitude, first struck the top of a small tree 35 feet above the ground, and then cut a swath approximately 510 feet long and 80 feet wide through the trees. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the action of the pilot in attempting VFR flight under instrument conditions over mountainous terrain.”