Flight Details
A pilot departed Rawlins, Wyoming, en route to North Platte, Nebraska, with a final destination of Biddeford, Maine. According to the pilot, after entering the Medicine Bow Mountains at an altitude of 9,500 feet mean sea level (MSL), he realized that the airplane could not outclimb the rising terrain. He spotted a clearing and decided to execute a forced landing.
Landing Conditions
During the landing attempt, unexpected downdrafts caused the airplane to land hard and short of the intended point of touchdown. The pilot's account indicates that the decision to land was prompted by the inability to gain sufficient altitude to clear the mountainous terrain.
Environmental Factors
The reported temperature and altimeter setting at Laramie, Wyoming—located 31 miles east of the accident site at an elevation of 7,278 feet MSL—were 24 degrees Celsius (75.2 degrees Fahrenheit) and 30.33 inches of mercury, respectively. Based on these values, the computed pressure altitude at Laramie was 6,868 feet MSL, and the density altitude was 9,421 feet MSL.
Aircraft Performance Information
According to the AA-1 Pilot Operating Handbook, the normal category service ceiling is 11,000 feet MSL, and the utility category service ceiling is 13,150 feet MSL. Under standard atmospheric conditions, the maximum rate of climb at 8,500 feet MSL is listed as 240 feet per minute. The handbook's performance data provides context for the aircraft's climb capability at the altitudes encountered.