Cessna 172S N917SA

Summary

On 30 June 2012 at about 15:20 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N917SA, operated by Rocky Mountain Flight School, was involved in an accident near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, 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.

Date

30 June 2012 at 15:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Glenwood Springs, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

39.6056, -107.2714

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N917SA

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Rocky Mountain Flight School

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Glenwood Spring → Broomfield

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12LA414

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's decision to fly into a mountainous area where conditions were such that the airplane was unable to climb above rising terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's insufficient pilot-in-command experience and inadequate training in mountain flying.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A pilot with 56 hours of pilot-in-command time was on the return leg of a cross-country flight over mountainous terrain. The pilot did not note any airplane anomalies during the startup, engine run-up, or takeoff. The pilot reported that it was a clear, calm morning, and he made the decision to fly on the left side of a canyon. The pilot indicated that when he wanted to climb out of the canyon, power increases did not seem to help, so he slowed the airplane to 70 knots indicated airspeed to minimize the turnaround radius to exit the canyon. He stated that he slowed the airplane a little more to make the turnaround and remembered feeling/seeing the airplane hit a tree. A postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies with the flight controls or engine. A camera in the cockpit, which recorded video of the accident flight, also revealed no airplane or engine anomalies. The airplane was observed impacting trees on rising terrain. Warmer-than-standard temperatures on the day of the accident resulted in a high density altitude and reduced climb performance of the airplane. An FAA publication, "Tips on Mountain Flying," indicated that pilots should carefully consider their experience and background before beginning a flight into mountainous terrain. It urged pilots to consider attending a recognized mountain flying course to attain the knowledge and skills needed for safe flying. The publication further stated that pilots should wait until they have at least 150 hours of pilot-in-command time before taking mountain training, as more experienced pilots have had time to become more familiar and comfortable with the airplane and with flight planning. The pilot stated that he had received instruction on assessing canyons from a previous mountain flight. The pilot did not indicate that he attended a recognized mountain flying course.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.