The pilot reported that, while en route, the air was “unstable and choppy,” and the Cessna 182 did not climb as expected.
He added that the airplane “managed to climb to 9,500′ (mean sea level) and maintain the altitude,” but then had a “sudden and violent drop in altitude followed by a down draft.”
Subsequently, the airplane descended to 500′ above the ground and was between two hills and still “struggling to climb.”
He observed what appeared to be a dirt plateau near Albuquerque, N.M., followed by a cliff and decided to land on the plateau to “avoid possibly falling off the cliff.” During the landing, the airplane nosed over.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and right wing.
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable cause: The pilot’s decision to continue flight in mountainous terrain with downdraft conditions, which necessitated a precautionary landing on unsuitable terrain.
NTSB Identification: GAA18CA262
This May 2018 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
My thought having flown considerably throughout New Mexico and most of the mountainous western states, is that a very serious part of the story is missing, at what altitude was the terrain he was overflying when he encountered the “downdrafts?”
I commonly see examples here in the mountains of my home State of Colorado, where pilots attempt crossing a 10,000 or 11,000 foot elevation pass with only a few hundred feet of clearance, and occasionally even from the downwind side of the pass. What safety safety buffer did he have? How much elevation did he actually lose?
Before venturing out, especially in desert mountainous terrain on warm days check here: https://aviationweather.gov/gairmet
The pilot made an off-field landing because there were “downdrafts”? Ahhh, no I don’t think we have successfully uncovered the real cause. Back to work.
It is confusing. I had one experience with moments of severe turbulence at night while being vectored for a practice approach at Groton, CT, on the north side of Long Island Sound. Another airplane over Long Island NY itself also reported severe turbulence. Prior to that the ride was smooth and there was absolutely nothing in the forecast that would have hinted of any unusual weather conditions. We were barely able to make a 180 without altitude loss and shortly after everything was normal but for a little while it was a helpless feeling. He didn’t say in his pilot report, but if this pilot’s encounter with severe conditions left him at 500′ agl, then he may have feared a second encounter putting him out of control to the surface. So he may have decided to try to reach the surface under control rather than out of control. But unfortunately the rollout went badly.
Actually I believe that. Been there done it in powered aircraft. However as a glider pilot I know that where air goes down it also goes up nearby. Half a mile to the other side of a ridge or valley or cloud and the opposite would be true. He needed to turn 45 degrees and get out of the local micro environment that was clearly not working for him