Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Mt. Charleston, Nevada 89191
Saturday, June 28, 2003 15:30 PDT

The airplane impacted trees and a pole during a turn when the pilot turned away from rising terrain. During a turn to gain altitude, the air traffic controller queried the pilot and asked if she saw the road below. The controller advised the pilot that most pilots follow that road to her next checkpoint. A few minutes after turning toward the road, air traffic control advised that they had lost radar contact. The pilot continued to climb while following the road. As the airspeed continued to decrease, the pilot added 10 degrees of flaps. The pilot turned the airplane to the left in an attempt to avoid a stall. The left wing clipped a telephone pole and trees came through the windshield. A post accident examination revealed no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane or engine. Performance calculations indicated that the terrain along the pilots ground track rose in excess of the performance capability of the airplane, and that a climb above the rising terrain was not possible during the duration of the flight. The density altitude at 8,000 feet msl was 11,660 feet. United States Highway 95 runs in a northwesterly direction through a wide 4,000 foot msl valley between mountain ranges and toward the pilot's intended checkpoint; Nevada State Highway 157 runs in a westerly direction into the Spring Mountain range with peaks that have elevations over 10,000 feet. The pilot followed Highway 157.

the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning and selection of the wrong route of flight, which led the airplane toward rising terrain in excess of the performance capability of the airplane. Also causal was the pilot's delayed decision to divert her route of flight. Contributing factors were the high density altitude, and the rapidly rising terrain.