Cessna 182S N820HP accident near Tecumseh, Oklahoma

Probable cause

The pilot's inadvertent aerodynamic stall at a low altitude, which resulted in a loss of control and impact with terrain.

NTSB analysis

The pilot, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) trooper, was dispatched to assist fellow OHP troopers and a local police department in the pursuit of an individual who was involved in a traffic accident. The driver fled the scene after the accident and was thought to be hiding in a wooded area. The pilot established radio contact with an OHP trooper on the ground; however, he was not able to contact the local police officers by radio. As the local police officers approached the location of the vehicle driver, they looked up at the airplane for further guidance. At that time, the pilot reduced the airplane's engine power and entered a slow descending turn over the vehicle driver's location, and the police officers on the ground began walking toward the individual. About the same time, the airplane's aerodynamic stall warning sounded. The left wing subsequently "stalled hard," and the airplane pitched nose-down and started to rotate to the left. The pilot was able to maintain directional control of the airplane and avoided a spin; however, he was not able to fully recover from the stall, and the airplane impacted the terrain. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN13TA441 for the full record.