Cessna 172N N6443E

Summary

On 20 February 2009 at about 20:00 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N6443E was involved in an accident near Big Bear Lake, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 February 2009 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Big Bear Lake, California, United States

Coordinates

34.2417, -117.0153

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N6443E

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Bernardino → Big Bear

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR09LA122

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain while maneuvering in a ravine. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to continue flight in an area that exceeded the climb rate capabilities of the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

After completing some practice maneuvers at an altitude of about 6,000 feet mean sea level, the pilot proceeded towards an airport located in mountainous terrain. The destination airport elevation was 6,752 feet and elevations in the area exceeded 8,000 feet. The pilot reported that as he flew into a ravine, he established a climbing attitude, but observed no change in altitude. The pilot continued flight into the ravine and noted that the airplane started to lose altitude. He then attempted to turn around and initiated a left-hand turn. However, as the airplane's indicated airspeed was about 50 knots and the airplane was close to the terrain, the pilot soon "realized he was not going to make it." He "aimed for the area with the least amount of trees," and the airplane impacted terrain approximately 8 miles from the destination airport at an elevation of about 6,100 feet. Although the pilot reported finding water in the fuel tanks during his preflight inspection, he did not report that the engine displayed any of the symptoms of water contamination such as running rough, momentary power interruptions, or fluctuations in power. Near the time of the accident, the calculated density altitude at the destination airport was 7,725 feet.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.