Accident Overview
On November 10, 2010, at approximately 1200 mountain standard time, a Partenavia P.68, registration N44956, operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department from Austin, Texas, was destroyed following an encounter with a downdraft and subsequent impact with terrain near Anthony, New Mexico. The flight, conducted under public use, originated at El Paso, Texas (ELP) at 1015 and was scheduled to return to ELP. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot and two passengers aboard sustained minor injuries.
Pilot's Account
According to the pilot's accident report, he crossed the southern ridge of the Anthony Gap and observed a parked vehicle. To investigate, the pilot lowered the flaps and descended to approximately 200 feet above ground level. A ridge was present at roughly the same elevation as the flight path. On the opposite side of the mountain, winds were from the south at about 10 to 15 knots.
The pilot made a second pass over the vehicle at 200 feet and initiated a right turn. At that moment, he encountered a tailwind, resulting in a rapid loss of airspeed and a descent. The pilot leveled the wings and increased engine power. However, the airplane was too slow and too low to turn out of the canyon. He attempted to cross over a saddle ridge but was too low. The left main landing gear struck the ridge and was torn off. The pilot rolled the wings to match the terrain, but the nose dropped. The airplane buffeted, and the stall warning sounded. The aircraft then struck the terrain and slid to a stop.
The pilot noted that the unanticipated downdraft could not have been foreseen.