Cessna 172 N8278B

Summary

On 14 November 2020 at about 18:30 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N8278B, operated by Jacob Rothgeb, was involved in an accident near Howe, Idaho, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

14 November 2020 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Howe, Idaho, United States

Coordinates

43.9306, -112.9381

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N8278B

Category

Airplane

Year built

1957

Engines

1

Operator

Jacob Rothgeb

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mud Lake → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR21LA056

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from mountainous terrain after an encounter with a downdraft, which resulted in a collision with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot reported that he was maneuvering the airplane from the south to the north on the leeward side of a ridgeline when the airplane encountered a downdraft and suddenly lost altitude. He turned the airplane to the west, then to the east in an attempt to regain altitude, but the airplane continued to descend and collided with terrain. The fuselage and both wings sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.