Incident Overview
On September 29, 2008, at approximately 1100 hours mountain daylight time, a Cessna CE-172K (registration N736LN) was substantially damaged during impact with terrain while maneuvering southeast of Leadville, Colorado. The aircraft was operated by Alliance Flight Training LLC and registered to Givin You The Bird LLC. The flight was a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight with a flight instructor, a student pilot, and a passenger onboard. All three occupants sustained minor injuries. The flight originated from Lake County Airport in Leadville, Colorado, with an intended destination of Front Range Airport in Denver, Colorado.
Flight and Maneuvering Details
Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight instructor had been demonstrating maneuvering at approximately 400 to 1,000 feet above mountainous terrain, utilizing updrafts on the west face of a ridge line to improve climb performance. Another aircraft flying a similar route had reported experiencing updrafts with occasional climb rates of up to 500 to 600 feet per minute. While N736LN was climbing toward rising terrain at an estimated 400 to 500 feet per minute, the airplane suddenly ceased climbing, and the stall warning activated.
Emergency Response
The flight instructor assumed control of the aircraft, lowered the flaps, and maintained full engine power at approximately 2,700 rpm. A crash landing was executed at an elevation of approximately 12,000 feet mean sea level on the upslope side of the mountain. The airplane struck terrain with wings level about 500 feet below the mountain ridge crest and came to rest inverted, approximately 50 feet from the initial impact point. Both the flight instructor and student pilot made cellular calls to 911 emergency services. An emergency medical service helicopter responded and evacuated the three injured occupants.
Post-Incident Examination
The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane’s flight controls. A subsequent inspection of the airframe and engine at Beegles Aircraft Service Inc. in Greeley, Colorado, revealed no evidence of preexisting anomalies.