Cessna 172 N4376Q

Summary

On 31 January 2021 at about 21:20 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N4376Q was involved in an accident near Silt, Colorado, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

31 January 2021 at 21:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Silt, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

39.5198, -107.6667

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N4376Q

Category

Airplane

Year built

1971

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rifle → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN21LA119

3 people were seriously injured.

The pilot’s failure to avoid powerlines while flying at low altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a local sightseeing flight when the airplane impacted high-tension transmission wires. The airplane came to rest about 600 ft past the wires, and the upper 2-foot section of the vertical stabilizer and rudder were separated and located about 100 ft from the wires. Postaccident examination revealed no malfunctions or anomalies of the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot’s failure to avoid powerlines while flying at low altitude.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.