Ely (Yelland Field) Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Ely, Nevada 89315
Sunday, February 23, 2003 8:30 PST

NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident

During a cross-country flight in clear weather conditions, the airplane collided with mountainous terrain in a box canyon. The pilot and passenger were flying from Colorado to California. The airplane came to rest on a snowy slope of about 25 degrees on the south side of a canyon, about 300 to 400 feet below the top of the overlying ridgeline. The canyon was contoured in an east/west direction, with rising terrain to the west, north, and south. The energy path depicted in the ground scars and wreckage debris distribution was easterly, opposite the expected direction of flight and toward lower terrain. A study of weather conditions and satellite imagery showed that the skies were clear and visibilities unrestricted. Considering the mountainous terrain and winds aloft, light to moderate turbulence below 15,000 feet was possible. The pilot survived the accident but succumbed to his injuries and environmental exposure sometime later. A plastic bag of marijuana was on the pilot and two bags of marijuana were on the passenger. Toxicology reports of both the pilot and passenger were positive for tetrahdrocannabinol (the active substance in marijuana) and tetrahdrocannabinol carboxylic acid (an inactive metabolite of marijuana). It was not possible to determine exactly how long the pilot survived after the accident, and therefore, it was not possible to determine whether the pilot last used marijuana before or after the accident. A post accident examination revealed no evidence of premishap mechanical malfunction or failure of the engine and airframe. The density altitude at the accident site was calculated to be just over 6,000 feet.

NTSB Probable Cause Narrative

the pilot's failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance while flying in a box canyon.

Event Information

Type of Event Accident
Event Date 2/23/2003
Event Day of the Week Sunday
Time of Event 830
Event Time Zone Pacific Standard Time
Event City ELY
Event State NEVADA
Event Country --
Zipcode of the event site 89315
Event Date Year 2003
Event Date Month 2
MidAir Collision Indicator No
On Ground Collision occurred ? No
Event Location Latitude 384902N
Event Location Longitude 1145435W
Event Location Airport Ely Airport (Yelland Field)
Event Location Nearest Airport ID ELY
Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport Off Airport/Airstrip
Distance from airport in statute miles 29
Degrees magnetic from airport 170
Airport Elevation 6259
Weather Briefing Completeness Unknown
Investigator's weather source Weather Observation Facility
Time of the weather observation 853 Pacific Standard Time
Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) 170
Weather Observation Facility ID ELY
Elevation of weather observation facility 6259
Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) 29
Time Zone of the weather observation PST
Lighting Conditions Day
Lowest Ceiling Height --
Lowest Non-Ceiling Height --
Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions Clear
Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling None
Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) --
Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) --
Visibility (Statute Miles) 10
Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) 0
Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) -12
Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) --
Variable Wind Indicator --
Wind Speed (knots) --
Wind Velocity Indicator Calm
Wind Gust Indicator Not Gusting
Wind Gust (knots) --
Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) 29.86
Density Altitude (feet) 6061
Intensity of Precipitation --
METAR weather report --
Event Highest Injury Fatal
On Ground, Fatal Injuries --
On Ground, Minor Injuries --
On Ground, Serious Injuries --
Injury Total Fatal 2
Injury Total Minor --
Injury Total None --
Injury Total Serious --
Injury Total All 2
Investigating Agency NTSB
NTSB Docket Number (internal use) 18486
NTSB Notification Source FAA
NTSB Notification Date Feb 25 2003 12:00AM
NTSB Notification Time 1930
Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information DMS
Date of most recent change to record Oct 27 2005 6:51AM
User who most recently changed record NTSB\JOHB
Basic weather conditions Visual Meteorological Cond
FAA District Office WP-RNO-FSDO

Aircraft Involved

Aircraft #1

Aircraft Registration Number N9885J
NTSB Number LAX03FA100
Missing Aircraft Indicator --
Federal Aviation Reg. Part Part 91: General Aviation
Type of Flight Plan filed None
Flight plan Was Activated? No
Damage Substantial
Aircraft Fire None
Aircraft Explosion None
Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name Cessna
Aircraft Model 172N
Aircraft Series Identifier --
Aircraft Serial Number 17273948
Certified Max Gross Weight 2300
Aircraft Category Airplane
Aircraft Registration Class U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil
Aircraft is a homebuilt? No
Flight Crew Seats --
Cabin Crew Seats --
Passenger Seats --
Total number of seats on the aircraft 4
Number of Engines 1
Fixed gear or retractable gear Fixed
Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection Continuous Airworthiness
Date of Last Inspection Jan 1 2003 12:00AM
Airframe hours since last inspection 33.5
Airframe Hours 3324.1
ELT Installed Yes
ELT Activated Yes
ELT Aided Location of Event Site Yes
ELT Type --
Aircraft Owner Name Corporate Air Services
Aircraft Owner Street Address 375 County Rd 352
Aircraft Owner City Rifle
Aircraft Owner State CO
Aircraft Owner Country USA
Aircraft Owner Zipcode 81650
Operator is an individual? No
Operator Name --
Operator Same as Owner? Yes
Operator Is Doing Business As --
Operator Address Same as Owner? Yes
Operator Street Address --
Operator City --
Operator State --
Operator Country --
Operator Zip code --
Operator Code --
Owner has at least one certificate None
Other Operator of large aircraft? --
Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation --
Operator Certificate Number --
Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not --
Indicates Domestic or International Flight --
Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail --
Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) Personal
Second Pilot on Board No
Departure Point Same as Event No
Departure Airport Code RIL
Departure City RIFLE
Departure State CO
Departure Country USA
Departure Time 630
Departure Time Zone MST
Destination Same as Local Flt --
Destination Airport Code 048
Destination City LITTLE RIVER
Destination State CA
Destination Country USA
Specific Phase of Flight Cruise
Report sent to ICAO? No
Evacuation occurred No
Date of most recent change to record Aug 2 2005 6:00PM
User who most recently changed record COOS
Since inspection or accident Time of Accident
Event Location Runway Number and Location NA
Runway Length --
Runway Width --
Sight Seeing flight No
Air Medical Flight No
Medical Flight --