Cessna 172R N2388L

Summary

On 1 July 2021 at about 17:49 local time, a Cessna 172R registered N2388L, operated by Brian J. Makar, was involved in an accident near Missoula, Montana, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 July 2021 at 17:49

Classification

Accident

Location

Missoula, Montana, United States

Nearest airport

Missoula International Airport (KMSO)

Coordinates

46.8405, -114.2859

Aircraft

Cessna 172R

Registration

N2388L

Category

Airplane

Year built

1999

Engines

1

Operator

Brian J. Makar

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Missoula → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR21FA258

2 people died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed and exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at an altitude too low for recovery.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and passenger departed on a personal flight to an unknown destination. The airplane’s weight for the flight was about 68 pounds above the maximum gross takeoff weight. The airplane proceeded westward, overflew rising mountainous terrain, and entered a box canyon. The last recorded data point, about 3.3 miles east of the accident site, showed that the airplane was at an altitude of about 678 ft above ground level; on a magnetic heading of 271°; and at a groundspeed of 68 knots, which was 17 knots faster than the published stall speed. The airplane impacted terrain in a low-energy, nose-low attitude, and nearly vertical descent with a small debris field, consistent with an aerodynamic stall. High-density altitude conditions at the departure airport prevailed, and no turbulence, low-level wind shear, or obscurations existed near the accident site. The available evidence for this investigation precluded a determination of whether the airplane continued to climb and maintained its airspeed as it progressed toward higher terrain. However, the combination of the airplane’s exceedance of the maximum takeoff gross weight and the high-density altitude likely resulted in degraded airplane climb performance and increased the time required to reach a suitable altitude to maintain clearance from the surrounding terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.