Plane Crash List

Cessna 172E N516MA

20 August 2013 · Meeteetse, Wyoming, United States · Minor injuries

Summary

On 20 August 2013 at about 21:00 local time, a Cessna 172E registered N516MA was involved in an accident near Meeteetse, Wyoming, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

The record

Date
at 21:00
Classification
Accident
Location
Meeteetse, Wyoming, United States
Coordinates
43.8875, -109.3261
Aircraft
Cessna 172E
Registration
N516MA
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Instructional
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Greybull → Fort Smith
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
WPR13CA381

People

1 person had minor injuries.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 0 1 0

Probable cause

The student pilot's inadequate preflight planning and failure to maintain clearance from rising terrain, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of situational awareness.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot reported that while on a solo cross-country flight she was using dead reckoning  through the mountains. The pilot was unsure of her location and as she proceeded to the west, the mountainous terrain became steeper, which required her to ascend from 7,500 feet mean sea level (msl) to 8,500 feet msl. The student stated that being unable to clear the rising terrain in her flight path and unable to turn the airplane around, she elected to make a landing. During the approach a gust of wind hit the right wing, which resulted in the nose landing gear impacting the rocky terrain. The airplane nosed over and  sustained substantial damage to both wings and the empennage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation.        

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

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All 12,209 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
9 Nov 2013 Aviat A 1B
N510MA
LaGrange, Wyoming, United States - Minor injuries -
11 Sep 2013 Kamtz RV-7A
N820RV
Jackson Hole, Wyoming, United States - Fatal 2
17 Feb 2013 Cessna T310R
N4941J
Casper, Wyoming, United States Bravenec Daniel W No injuries -
3 Mar 2013 Cessna 172M
N5129R
Saratoga, Wyoming, United States Davis Gordon A Fatal 1
23 Jun 2013 Cessna 170B
N170CW
Rawlins, Wyoming, United States Hohmann Courtney P No injuries -
10 May 2013 Cessna 172N
N7610F
Newcastle, Wyoming, United States Flightline Inc No injuries -

All 170,864 records in United States