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WPR13CA381

2013-08-20 · Meeteetse, Wyoming, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

N516MA has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (CESSNA G36, built 2017), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's inadequate preflight planning and failure to maintain clearance from rising terrain, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of situational awareness.

Factual narrative

The student pilot reported that while on a solo cross-country flight she was using dead reckoning  through the mountains. The pilot was unsure of her location and as she proceeded to the west, the mountainous terrain became steeper, which required her to ascend from 7,500 feet mean sea level (msl) to 8,500 feet msl. The student stated that being unable to clear the rising terrain in her flight path and unable to turn the airplane around, she elected to make a landing. During the approach a gust of wind hit the right wing, which resulted in the nose landing gear impacting the rocky terrain. The airplane nosed over and  sustained substantial damage to both wings and the empennage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation.         The student pilot reported that while on a solo cross-country flight she was using dead reckoning  through the mountains. The pilot was unsure of her location and as she proceeded to the west, the mountainous terrain became steeper, which required her to ascend from 7,500 feet mean sea level (msl) to 8,500 feet msl. The student stated that being unable to clear the rising terrain in her flight path and unable to turn the airplane around, she elected to make a landing. During the approach a gust of wind hit the right wing, which resulted in the nose landing gear impacting the rocky terrain. The airplane nosed over and  sustained substantial damage to both wings and the empennage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation.         Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Flight planning/navigation-Student pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Student pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained - C
  • F Personnel issues-Psychological-Perception/orientation/illusio-Situational awareness-Student pilot - F

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2013_WPR13CA381.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (controlled flight into terrain). All research papers