Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB WPR21FA258
CESSNA 172R — Missoula, MT
| Date | July 1, 2021 |
| Location | Missoula, MT |
| Aircraft | CESSNA 172R |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Enroute-climb to cruise Loss of control in flight |
| Pilot age | 43 |
| Pilot total time | 410 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 408 hrs |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
What happened
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.