Accident Sequence
The pilot, who had received a checkout in a Cessna 172 from a local fixed-base operator, had scheduled the accident airplane for an all-day trip to the Grand Canyon and back. After spending several hours at the Grand Canyon, during which time he fueled the airplane, the pilot departed the Grand Canyon airport at about 1500 hours.
Shortly after departure, witnesses observed a fire on the cliffs on the south side of a plateau. Search and rescue personnel reported that the aircraft collided with a sheer cliff wall in a near-level flight attitude approximately 200 feet below the top of the plateau. The collision resulted in a fire that consumed the aircraft.
Witness and Pilot Reports
A pilot who was in the area afterward reported that the weather was clear and very turbulent, with southwest winds estimated at 20 to 25 knots. The pilot stated that it was impossible to get close to the wreckage because of the winds and turbulence. No additional information about the aircraft's flight path or potential avoidance maneuvers was available from the source.
The accident sequence, from the time of departure to the collision, remains as described by the available reports. The specifics of the aircraft's climb or navigation during the short flight are not detailed in the source.