Puntilla, AK, USA
N9455C
CESSNA 180
According to the pilot, he made two passes over a dry creek bed to assess a potential landing site. The second pass was accomplished up-creek into rising terrain. The airplane was configured with full power and with flaps at 20°, and it was about 50 ft above ground level at 80 mph. The pilot reported that the airplane encountered a downdraft as it transitioned from overflying the trees to overflying the creek bed, which he attempted to correct, but the airplane aerodynamically stalled. Following the stall, the pilot attempted to land on a dry creek bed. The airplane touched down on the creek bed, then bounced and descended into a "dry cut channel." The airplane came to rest nose down in a near vertical position. The airplane was destroyed by a postcrash fire. According to the National Transportation Safety Board's Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot reported that the event could have been avoided by making the low pass along descending terrain at a higher airspeed. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
According to the pilot, he made two passes over a dry creek bed to assess a potential landing site. The second pass was accomplished up creek into rising terrain. The airplane was configured with full power, with flaps at 20° and flying about 50ft AGL and 80 MPH. The pilot reported that the airplane encountered a downdraft as the airplane transitioned from overflying the trees, to overflying the creek bed, which he attempted to correct, but the airplane aerodynamically stalled. Following the stall, the pilot attempted to land on a dry creek bed. The airplane touched down on the creek bed, then bounced and descended into a "dry cut channel". The airplane came to rest nose down and the airplane in a near vertical position. The airplane was destroyed by a post-crash fire. According to the National Transportation Safety Board's, Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot reported that the event could have been avoided by making the low pass along descending terrain at a higher airspeed. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The airplane’s encounter with a downdraft while maneuvering at a low altitude, which resulted in the exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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