Cessna 182L N42474 accident near Sedona, Arizona

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance the airplane’s critical angle-ofattack while maneuvering through a canyon in high-density altitude conditions at low altitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB analysis

The private pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. A witness reported observing the airplane flying into a canyon from above the tree line near the top of the canyon. Another witness, who did not see the airplane, reported hearing the airplane's engine accelerate, become quiet, and accelerate again, which was followed shortly thereafter by an explosion. The airplane impacted terrain at the bottom of a canyon and was destroyed. A postcrash examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies what would have precluded normal operation.

It is likely the pilot failed to maintain adequate airspeed and exceeded the airplane's critical angle-of-attack while entering the canyon, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall from which there was insufficient altitude to recover. In addition, the calculated density altitude of 9,675 ft would have adversely affected the airplane's performance.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR14FA303 for the full record.