# NTSB WPR26FA043: Cessna 172M, N13221, Poleta, CA, November 10, 2025 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 3 · Field · Preliminary report - Date: November 10, 2025, 15:15 local (23:15 UTC) - Place: Poleta, CA - Coordinates: 37.29748, -118.20793 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.2975&lon=-118.2079&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute: Unknown or undetermined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 2 fatal, 1 serious - Status: Investigation ongoing - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - Parties: Textron Aviation, Federal Aviation Administration, Lycoming Engines - NTSB case key (mKey): 201989 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR26FA043 - NTSB preliminary report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/201989/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR26FA043 ## Preliminary report On November 10, 2025, at about 1515 Pacific standard time, Cessna 172M, N13221, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Poleta, California. A pilot-rated passenger and a passenger were fatally injured, and the pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. On the day of the accident, the pilot rented the airplane from a flight school at North Las Vegas Airport (VGT), Las Vegas, Nevada. According to the flight school, the airplane was fueled to capacity. ADS-B data indicated the airplane subsequently departed for a flight to Bishop Airport (BIH), Bishop, California, at 1159. At 1416, the airplane arrived at BIH. The pilot purchased about 10 gallons of fuel from the self-serve fuel pump. The airplane subsequently departed from runway 17 at 1505. The airplane began a climbing left turn to the southeast and approached a mountain range with terrain elevations that reached up to about 9,000 ft msl. (See Figure 1). The last ADS-B return was recorded at 1514 and captured the airplane at 6,850 ft msl. Figure 1: Flight path of the accident airplane. Figure 2: The ADS-B flight track, shown in red, overlaid on a topographic map of the canyon. When the airplane failed to return to VGT, the flight school contacted local law enforcement, who subsequently contacted the FAA. The FAA then issued an Alert Notice (ALNOT). The airplane was located the day after the accident at about 0600. The accident site was located in the east end of a canyon about 9.6 miles southeast of BIH, and about 1.3 miles northeast of the last ADS-B return. The terrain elevation at the bottom of the canyon rose from 4,400 ft msl near the opening (which faced west) and reached about 7,600 ft msl near the east end of the canyon. The airplane came to rest at an altitude of about 7,000 ft msl on a shale-covered slope on the north face of the canyon. The wreckage lay on a heading of about 077° magnetic. The airplane was surrounded by fragments of interior plastics and the windows. The main cabin doors had separated and came to rest downslope of the main wreckage. (See Figure 3). Figure 3: A view of the main wreckage, with the camera facing southwest. The wings, empennage, and engine remained attached to the fuselage. Several gallons of fuel were present in each fuel tank. Upon visual examination, the engine exhibited no indications of internal catastrophic engine failure. The propeller remained attached to the crankshaft flange. One propeller blade had separated and was found imbedded in the soil near the main wreckage. Visual examination of the propeller blades revealed leading edge chipping, S-bending, and chordwise striations. The aircraft was retained for further examination. ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute: Unknown or undetermined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 172M, 6 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000/sequence.md?model=2072418), [All aircraft, 1,703 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000/sequence.md) ## Aircraft - Registration: [N13221](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N13221), registered now, S/N 17262586, built 1973 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 172M - Registry model: [Cessna 172M](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172m) (registry code 2072418) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-300 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-300-series) (registry code 17022, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 17262586 - Year built: 1973 - Airframe hours: 4493.5 - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Registration Pending, doing business as 702 Aviation - Registered owner: Registration Pending - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, August 29, 2025, 95.1 hours before - Departed: BIH, Bishop, CA - Destination: VGT, North Las Vegas, NV - Equipment: ADS-B, Stall warning system ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 170° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 73 °F, dew point 27 °F - Altimeter: 30.27 inHg - Observed at: KBIH, 8 nm away - METAR: METAR KBIH 102256Z AUTO 17005KT 10SM CLR 23/M03 A3027 RMK AO2 SLP225 T02331033 ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20251110018909A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20251110018909A), Nov 10, 2025: Cessna 172M, Bishop, CA, Substantial damage, 2 fatal. Aircraft took off from kbih to klas after taking on 10 gallons of fuel in the left wing at kbih for return trip to klas and tried to climb out of box canyon… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.