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WPR13CA231

2013-05-15 · Carson City, Nevada, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport CXP

N911HE has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (CIRRUS DESIGN SR20, built 2025), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control after an encounter with downdrafts while flying over mountainous terrain.

Factual narrative

The pilot was on a personal scenic tour flight; the airplane was climbing southwest, and approaching 9,000 feet mean sea level. He planned to cross a mountain saddle between 400 and 500 feet above ground level. The flight encountered a strong downdraft; the airspeed dropped to about 80 mph,and the airplane stopped climbing. It then encountered another downdraft, which resulted in the airplane descending. The pilot attempted to arrest the descent by applying full engine power, but was unsuccessful. He maneuvered the airplane to avoid some trees before impacting the rising terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the tail section. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations. The pilot was on a personal scenic tour flight; the airplane was climbing southwest, and approaching 9,000 feet mean sea level. He planned to cross a mountain saddle between 400 and 500 feet above ground level. The flight encountered a strong downdraft; the airspeed dropped to about 80 mph,and the airplane stopped climbing. It then encountered another downdraft, which resulted in the airplane descending. The pilot attempted to arrest the descent by applying full engine power, but was unsuccessful. He maneuvered the airplane to avoid some trees before impacting the rising terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the tail section. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Downdraft-Not specified
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Mountainous/hilly terrain-Not specified

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2013_WPR13CA231.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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