Cessna 182L N42474

Summary

On 20 July 2014 at about 22:30 local time, a Cessna 182L registered N42474, operated by Johnathan P McGeary, was involved in an accident near Sedona, Arizona, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 July 2014 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Sedona, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Sedona (SEZ)

Coordinates

34.9075, -111.8622

Aircraft

Cessna 182L

Registration

N42474

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

Johnathan P McGeary

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Flagstaff → Sedona

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14FA303

4 people died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance the airplane’s critical angle-ofattack while maneuvering through a canyon in high-density altitude conditions at low altitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. A witness reported observing the airplane flying into a canyon from above the tree line near the top of the canyon. Another witness, who did not see the airplane, reported hearing the airplane's engine accelerate, become quiet, and accelerate again, which was followed shortly thereafter by an explosion. The airplane impacted terrain at the bottom of a canyon and was destroyed. A postcrash examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies what would have precluded normal operation. It is likely the pilot failed to maintain adequate airspeed and exceeded the airplane's critical angle-of-attack while entering the canyon, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall from which there was insufficient altitude to recover. In addition, the calculated density altitude of 9,675 ft would have adversely affected the airplane's performance.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.