NTSB CAROL · Event
Event WPR21LA360
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s failure to maintain altitude while maneuvering in a valley of mountainous terrain.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that shortly after takeoff, during the initial climb, she encountered downdrafts. She decided against a crosswind turn and maneuvered the airplane though a valley with the intention of turning the airplane around. However, the airplane was unable to outclimb the terrain and struck treetops. Subsequently, the airplane impacted terrain and a fire ensued. The airplane was destroyed during the postimpact fire. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained
- — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
- — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Downdraft-Effect on operation
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2021_WPR21LA360.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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