ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 44846
Last updated: 4 January 2021
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| Date: | 23-MAY-2004 |
| Time: | 11:39 |
| Type: |  Mooney M20K |
| Owner/operator: | Lashley Auto Sales, Inc. |
| Registration: | N231DL |
| C/n / msn: | 25-0010 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Pinedale, WY -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Sunrise, OR (S21) |
| Riverton, WY (RIW) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
The non-instrument rated private pilot had been airborne for approximately 3 hours when he approached the Wind River Range in central Wyoming. Radar data indicated that he descended from 15,500 feet to 14,300 feet (because of weather) to cross the continental divide at Gannett Peak, elevation 13,804 feet,. Radar data indicates that approximately 20 seconds later, the airplane was in an approximate 4,200 feet per minute rate of descent. Satellite imagery and NEXRAD Doppler data suggest that at the pilot's ground track location, the mountain was experiencing light to intermittent snow showers according to the NTSB meteorologist. No endorsements could be found in the pilot's flight logbook to indicate that he had received any mountain flying training. Search and rescue teams found the airplane 3 days later. No evidence of a mechanical failure was found.
Probable Cause: The pilot's inadvertent flight into adverse weather conditions, and his failure to maintain terrain clearance while maneuvering. Contributing factors were the downdraft, the snow shower weather and mountainous terrain.
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20040528X00684&key=1
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2008 00:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 07-Dec-2017 18:01 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
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