Cessna 175 N7584M

Summary

On 15 October 2021 at about 15:59 local time, a Cessna 175 registered N7584M was involved in an accident near Reserve, New Mexico, United States. 3 people were on board and one died, 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 October 2021 at 15:59

Classification

Accident

Location

Reserve, New Mexico, United States

Nearest airport

N/A (N/A)

Coordinates

33.5965, -108.7216

Aircraft

Cessna 175

Registration

N7584M

Category

Airplane

Year built

1959

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Silver City → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR22FA011

1 person died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from terrain while maneuvering at a low altitude. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s reduced forward visibility due to the sun.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a personal flight with two passengers over mountainous terrain, with the intention of scouting areas to hunt. The passengers reported that they were directing the pilot where they wanted to look, and while maneuvering, the airplane entered a “sharp” turn and started to descend. They stated it “felt/sounded” like the engine lost power and that the pilot was not able to get full power back. The pilot was able to level the airplane, but it continued to descend into the trees. The passengers also stated it was difficult to see out of the windshield during the flight because the airplane was “tilted up” the entire flight. Downloaded GPS flight track data showed that in the final 2 minutes of the flight, the airplane turned to the southeast toward rising terrain, and entered a positive rate of climb, which continued until the last recorded GPS data point, which was located about 95 ft south of the accident site. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Review of sun and moon data for the time and location of the accident revealed that the sun was just above the relative horizon and in the southeast quadrant of the sky. It is likely that when the pilot initiated a climb while on a southeasterly heading, the sun reduced the pilot’s forward visibility and her awareness of rising terrain in the immediate flight path, which led to a collision with the terrain. Although toxicology testing indicated the pilot used Diphenhydramine at some point before the accident flight, the detected blood levels could not be used to infer the level of impairment. Based on the circumstances of the accident, the effect of Diphenhydramine use was determined not to be a likely factor in the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.