The aircraft collided with the ground at 4380 ft MSL. The pilot had called the control tower in El Paso and advised that he was at 8500 ft and would have to start descending due to weather in the area. The pilot was VFR and no flight plan had been filed. He was advised of ground elevations in the area of 4500 ft and advised to remain VFR. About 4 minutes later, radio and radar contact were lost and a search was initiated. The wreckage was located 3 hours later. Examination of the wreckage indicated that the aircraft impacted the ground at about a 25-30 degree nose down and right wing low attitude while traveling at a high rate of speed. It bounced and traveled about 100 yards before a second impact where it rolled inverted. Although the pilot had about 1300 hours total flying time, he had only flown 7 hours in the last 9 years. The accident aircraft had just been bought by the 59 year old pilot. There were no indications of any mechanical malfunctions or failures prior to impact. Local residents reported light rain and snow flurries in the area.