Cessna 172RG accident near Gunnison, CO
On July 28, 2001, a Cessna 172RG (airplane) was involved in an accident near Gunnison, CO. 3 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 28, 2001
- Place
- Gunnison, CO
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · Airplane
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 3 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 38.499°N, 106.801°W
- NTSB ID
- 20010807X01621
NTSB summary
On July 28, 2001, approximately 0750 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172RG, N401TA, registered to Top Notch Aviation, Inc., of Austin, Texas, was destroyed when it collided with terrain while climbing 9 miles east of Gunnison, Colorado. The private pilot and two passengers were seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Gunnison approximately 0730. According to the pilot's accident report, he took off from Gunnison County Airport (elevation 7,673 feet msl), climbed to 9,700 feet msl (above mean sea level), and decided to cross the mountains. The airplane encountered a "300 foot updraft, and then a 2,000 foot downdraft." The pilot said he decided to "land the plane without the use of the landing gear on the side of the mountain. All passengers walked away." According to one passenger, this was the pilot's first time flying in the mountains. It was their intention to follow State Route 114 to Saguache, Colorado, then direct to Amarillo, Texas. The airplane was at 80 knots and 8,300 feet as they approached Flat Top Mountain. The pilot pulled back on the control yoke in an attempt to gain sufficient altitude to clear the peak but the airplane was slow in responding and "we literally came straight down" and "the belly [struck the ground] pretty hard." He and the pilot were able to extricate themselves from the airplane but were seriously injured and their movements were restricted. The injured second passenger was unable to extricate
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to attain the proper climb rate, and his improper inflight planning/decision to attempt to cross mountainous terrain at an inadequate altitude. Contributing factors were the downdraft and the pilot's total lack of experience in mountain flying.
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Browse: Colorado · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
