Incident Overview
An airplane stalled and impacted terrain while flying in a canyon at low altitude and slow airspeed. The flight was part of a mountain flying seminar, with a pilot and a certified flight instructor (CFI) on board. The instructional purpose was to practice short canyon turns and identify thermal lift areas.
Flight Details
During the first canyon, the aircraft flew at 300 feet above ground level (AGL) at 70 mph with 20 degrees of flaps, staying along the south side and riding thermals. The pilot then entered another canyon with burned terrain and deadfall trees, flying at 300 to 350 feet AGL at 60 to 65 mph with full flaps. The pilot angled the airplane toward a rock cliff, expecting thermal lift from warm rocks, and flew with the wingtip about 10 feet from the cliff.
Stall and Descent
The climb stopped, airspeed dropped, and the wing stalled. The pilot turned left, applied full throttle, and lowered the nose. The descent was rapid, and the pilot attempted to steer between deadfall trees into a drainage gully. The descent continued, and the pilot tried to land as gently as possible. After colliding with sloped terrain, both pilots egressed the airplane just before it was engulfed in flames.
Mechanical Status
The pilot stated that the airplane and engine experienced no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.