On April 18, 1982, a Cessna 177 (registration N34212) operated by Ronald William Dunn was involved in an aviation accident near N.w. OF Page, AZ. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During final approach, a plane encountered a downdraft. The pilot added full power to clear an embankment and selected 10 degrees of flaps. The wind caused a left drift, and the aircraft touched down tail first in a stall, heading toward another plane. The pilot steered back and was unaware of the collision until after stopping.
Approach and Downdraft
The encounter with the downdraft occurred while the aircraft was on final approach. In an attempt to clear an embankment, the pilot selected full power and then set the flaps to 10 degrees.
Drift and Touchdown
The pilot stated that the wind caused a left drift during the crossing of the embankment. The aircraft subsequently touched down in a tail-first, stalled condition. After touchdown, the aircraft's trajectory was toward another aircraft. The pilot steered back toward the runway.
Collision and Awareness
The pilot was not aware that a collision had occurred until after the aircraft had come to a complete stop. He only realized that his plane had struck the other aircraft after stopping.