Cessna 172N N6548D

Summary

On 21 September 2003 at about 18:05 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N6548D, operated by Skyschool, Inc., was involved in an accident near Pahrump, Nevada, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 September 2003 at 18:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Pahrump, Nevada, United States

Coordinates

36.2717, -115.9917

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N6548D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Skyschool, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pahrump → North Las Vegas

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX03LA294

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's failure to maintain altitude/clearance from the mountainous terrain while maneuvering, which resulted in an in-flight collision with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with rising terrain while maneuvering to gain altitude shortly after departure. After an uneventful departure, the airplane approached a mountain range, and the pilot opted to execute a 360-degree turn in an effort to gain altitude. While turning, he noticed a significant downdraft, and despite the continuous use of full throttle, the airplane was unable to climb. He attempted to maneuver the airplane to avoid contacting terrain, but the airplane descended about 250 feet per minute and impacted the terrain. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. He thought that the accident could have been prevented if he had maneuvered the airplane away from mountainous terrain. With the temperature and pressure from the nearest reporting station, the density altitude was calculated to be in excess of 4,800 feet.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.