- Date
- August 23, 1995, 21:30 local (Aug 24, 1995, 05:30 UTC)
- Place
- Soldotna, AK
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N96911Cessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 6, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19950823028529A
- Case key
- 2726
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's improper in-flight planning/decision, and his failure to maintain sufficient altitude to assure clearance from obstructions. The downdraft was a related factor.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot stated they were looking for game for a future hunting trip. As he flew the airplane up slope, he observed the wind moving the tree tops. He estimated the wind at 15 knots. The wind was blowing over a bench, a flat area on the side of a mountain slope, and the pilot stated it created a downdraft that the airplane could not outclimb. He started a turn to proceed downslope, and during the turn, the stall warning horn sounded. Approximately 3/4 of the way through the turn, the airplane struck a tree, slowed down, and struck more trees, before crashing into alder bushes.
Factual narrative
On August 23, 1995, at 2130 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Cessna 172 airplane, N96911, registered to and operated by the pilot, crashed into trees during maneuvering flight near Harvey Lake, Alaska. Harvey Lake is located approximately 25 miles east, southeast of Kenai, Alaska. The personal flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91, departed the Soldotna Airport for a local flight. A visual flight rules flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The private certificated pilot and two passengers were not injured. One passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was substantially damaged.
During a telephone conversation with the pilot on August 25, 1995, he stated he was flying upslope into a valley at 80 knots indicated airspeed and with 10 degrees of flaps extended. The airplane was not climbing as he expected and he attempted to turn to reverse direction and fly downhill. Approximately 3/4 of the way through the turn, the right wing struck a tree. The airplane decelerated and struck more trees and crashed into the alder bushes. The pilot stated they were attempting to spot game for a future hunting trip.
According to the pilot's statement attached to the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, the pilot stated that during the turn the airplane's stall warning horn was sounding. He also said that the wind was blowing approximately 15 knots based upon his observation of the moving tree tops. He stated that the wind blowing over the "bench" (flat area on a mountain slope) created a downdraft which affected the airplane's ability to climb.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N96911
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17276132
- Airframe hours
- 1,028
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Michael Tauriainen
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 1, 1995 · 44 hours before
- Departed
- SXQ · AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,391 total · 1,024 in this make and model · 1,286 as pilot in command · 109 in the last 90 days · 36 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 61 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.