# Accident 20201114018059A: Cessna 172, Mud Lake, ID, November 14, 2020

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 14, 2020, 11:30 local time
- Place: Mud Lake, ID
- Airport: Mud Lake/West Jefferson County
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 43.9306° N, 112.9381° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.9306&lon=-112.9381&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8278B, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8278B-2022-02-05) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172 (registry code 2072402, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental 0-300 series (registry code 17022, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-300-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR 0-300 SER
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 2
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot, student
- Pilot flight hours: 87 total, 12 in this make and model, 18 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR21LA056](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR21LA056) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20201114018059A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

FLYING AT 10,000 FT,  PREPARING TO CROSS A RIDGE AT ABOUT 1000 AGL WHEN HIT A DOWN DRAFT.  RECOVERY WAS NOT POSSIBLE AND IMPENDING STALL WAS INDICATED PRIOR TO ENTERING THE TREES ON THE MOUNTAIN SIDE.  AIRCRAFT ENTERED TREES AND WAS DESTROYED ON IMPACT WITH GROUND AND ROLLING DOWN THE HILL APPROXIMATELY 300 FT AND COMING TO A STOP.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB WPR21LA056](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR21LA056), Nov 14, 2020: Cessna 172 (N8278B), Howe, ID, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from mountainous terrain after an encounter with a downdraft, which resulted in a collision with terrain.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.