- Date
- October 30, 1992, 10:41 local (17:41 UTC)
- Place
- Cottonwood, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N2221LPiper PA-18-135
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 29, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921030044479A
- Case key
- 27807
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
An inadvertent stall and descent into terrain when the pilot failed to maintain sufficient airspeed and altitude above the ground.
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 certificated private pilot and a passenger were conducting a personal flight near mountainous terrain to look for possible off airport landing spots. The pilot reportedly had commented about previous experience in bush flying, including landing on dirt roads. The airplane was observed about 100 to 200 feet above the ground in a small canyon near a switchback area along a mountain road. The airplane was then observed to rapidly descend into the ground, crashing in a near vertical nose down attitude. A pilot witness to the accident reported encountering turbulence and downdrafts in the area. A ground witness reported calm wind conditions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2221L
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-135
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-4018
- Airframe hours
- 3,208
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290-D2, 135 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Massey, William
- Registered owner
- Massey, Ronald
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 1992 · 72 hours before
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 5,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PRC, 16 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.