SEA97LA123

During the return leg of a cross-country flight through mountainous terrain, the pilot attempted to fly through a mountain pass which was more than 8,500 feet high. At the time of the accident, the density altitude in the area was greater than 10,000 feet, and according to the Pilot's Operating Handbook, the aircraft's expected climb rate would be less than 100 feet per minute. While attempting to get through the pass, the aircraft encountered downdrafts that were sinking at a greater rate than the aircraft could climb. Although the pilot attempted to outclimb the sinking air, he could not keep the aircraft from descending into the terrain.

On May 27, 1997, approximately 1700 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-38, N2362K, impacted the terrain while maneuvering in steep mountainous terrain about 10 miles south of Fruitland, Utah. The private pilot and his passenger, who held a commercial pilot certificate, received minor injuries, and the aircraft, which was being operated by U.S. Aviation of Ogden, Utah, sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal pleasure flight, which had departed Duchesne, Utah about 10 minutes earlier, was en route to Ogden, Utah at the time of the crash. No flight plan had been filed, and the flight was being conducted in visual meteorological conditions.

Earlier in the day, the pilot had flown from Ogden, Utah to Duchesne, Utah, and was on the return flight when the accident occurred. According to the pilot, he was trying to fly through a pass that was more than 8,500 feet high. He said that the aircraft had been operating normally, but that he encountered wind conditions which created downdrafts, and the aircraft started to sink toward the terrain. The pilot attempted to get the aircraft to climb, but it descended into the terrain, impacting the ground approximately 8,300 feet above sea level (MSL).

Post-accident performance calculations determined that the density altitude at the time of the accident was greater than 10,000 feet, and according to the PA-38 Pilot's Operating Handbook, the aircraft's climb rate would be less than 100 feet per minutes under those conditions.

The pilot, who was a French national who had come to the United Stated in order to receive flight training, returned to France without completing an NTSB Form 6120.1/2.