SEA96LA169

After takeoff, the pilot elected to turn up a valley which would provide the most direct route to his destination. Once committed to that route of flight, he realized that the aircraft could not out-climb the rising terrain. He attempted to land the aircraft at the point where its climb gradient intersected the terrain, but it impacted trees during his attempted emergency landing. Later calculations determined the density altitude to be approximately 5,000 feet.

On July 25, 1996, approximately 2035 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N61842, registered to Inter State Aviation, Inc., and being flown by a private pilot, was substantially damaged during an intentional emergency landing in wooded terrain near Nez Perce, Idaho. The pilot and passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The flight, which was personal in nature, was to have been operated under 14CFR91, and originated from Kooskia, Idaho, approximately 2025.

The pilot reported that after takeoff, he elected to turn up a creek drainage that would give him a more direct route to his destination. After committing to that route of flight, he realized that the aircraft's climb performance was not sufficient to clear the surrounding terrain. Because the canyon he was in was too narrow for him to reverse course, he elected to execute a forced landing at the point where the aircraft's climb gradient intersected the raising terrain. While attempting to fly the aircraft onto the terrain, he collided with trees. The elevation of the crash site was determined to be 2,700 feet above mean sea level, and the temperature was estimated to be 85 degrees. Computer generated calculations determined the density altitude to be approximately 5,000 feet. On the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, the pilot stated that the accident could have been completely avoided by, "...using better, more conservative judgment, and climbing out over the Clearwater River valley, which is plenty wide and certainly has much better emergency-landing spots."