CESSNA 172S — Minden, NV

What happened

The owner of the fixed-base operator (FBO) at the airport reported that the pilot stated to him that he wanted to go flying before it got dark. He added that the pilot had the airplane fully fueled and that he saw the airplane taxiing away from the FBO's hangar. An FBO employee who was monitoring the airport's UNICOM frequency reported hearing the pilot call for taxi then takeoff. The following day, the operator and FBO personnel noted that the airplane had not returned to the airport. A search was initiated, and the wreckage was located in the mountains 14 miles east of the airport.

Radar data showed the airplane at 8,600 ft mean sea level (msl) and then continuing on an easterly course while climbing to 11,400 ft msl. Ten minutes later, the airplane turned 180 degrees and then proceeded in a westerly direction. About 1 1/2 minutes later, the airplane entered a rapid descent. The final radar return was at 10,500 ft msl in the immediate vicinity of the airplane wreckage. The airplane collided with terrain in a nose-down attitude. Postaccident airplane wreckage examination did not reveal any mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot's radio transmissions were routine. Although the pilot had recently returned from Afghanistan to address a personal situation, and, therefore, was likely experiencing some fatigue and emotional strain during the period preceding the accident, there was insufficient evidence to determine the extent to which these factors affected the pilot's performance or ability to maintain airplane control.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.