- Date
- May 28, 2023, 16:43 local (22:43 UTC)
- Place
- Enterprise, UT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5089Cessna 175A
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Loss of lift
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20230528008739A
- Case key
- 192268
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 inability to maintain altitude during an initial climbout in mountainous terrain after encountering a suspected downdraft.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The airplane departed a private dirt strip in mountainous terrain with a left quartering headwind. During the initial climb, the pilot retracted the flaps from to 20º to 10º to improve the airplane’s acceleration. There was no change in airspeed, so he retracted the flaps completely and the airplane began a descent. He then extended the flaps back to 10º and initiated a shallow right turn to maneuver away from rising terrain, but the airplane did not climb. The pilot applied a nose down attitude to prevent a stall and the airplane impacted terrain and nosed over, in which the right wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot suspected he had flown into a downdraft after taking off and reported there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions to the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5089
- Reported as
- Cessna 175A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 56756
- Built
- 1960
- Airframe hours
- 4,252.1
- Engine
- Continental O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gifford David M
- Registered owner
- Gifford David M
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 4, 2023
- Departed
- UT91 · Enterprise, UT
- Destination
- KVGT · Las Vegas, NV
- Airport
- N/A
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Last flight review
- March 16, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,700 total · 60 in this make and model · 1,555 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 14 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- KCDC, 35 nm away
- METAR
- KCDC 282253Z AUTO 24014G23KT 10SM CLR 26/M02 A2996 RMK AO2 SLP085 T02561022
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 20, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.5 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.