[scifi]

Possibly, heading over the pass was the return route to the airfield. (Pure speculation on my part.)

[throwup238]

This is the flight: https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n65440#35fd8c29

He was flying to a different airport from the one he took off from. It's possible he was way past the point of no return and had to make it over the pass or emergency land in the mountains.

[beej71]

Link dead, but on the track I saw earlier he wasn't even close to halfway to the destination when he regrouped for his second attempt.