The pilot reported that, while flying in a valley near Tok, Alaska, he realized that his Cessna 150H did not have the climb performance to clear an upcoming ridgeline.
He began a left turn to exit the valley in the direction he had entered.
He told investigators that, during the turn, he encountered a gust of wind that caused his left wing to drop and his rate of turn to increase. During the attempted recovery, the airplane lost altitude and hit terrain, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage.
The pilot and a passenger sustained serious injuries in the crash.
Probable Cause: The airplane’s encounter with gusting winds resulting in a loss of altitude with performance insufficient to outclimb terrain.
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This August 2024 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.
Flying into valleys that have an upward gradient, will also usually narrow significantly leaving little or no room to make an 180 degrees turn to escape. Add to that the likely wind turbulence with both upward and downward gusts, leaves few options.