Diamond DA40 N787PV accident near Wells, Nevada

Probable cause

The pilot’s inability to maintain climb performance and clearance from mountainous terrain due to a downdraft.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, after completing a fourhour leg on a crosscountry flight, he planned to make a fuel stop in Wells, Nevada. Upon arrival he discovered the runway was covered in snow, and elected to continue his flight and obtain fuel at the next airport in Elko, Nevada. The pilot selected a direct route that included crossing a mountain range with ridgeline elevations exceeding 10,000 ft. While approaching the summit of the mountain range, the airplane encountered a downdraft headwind that it could not outclimb. The airplane impacted steep, snowcovered terrain approximately 500 vertical ft below the mountain summit. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, tail cone, and fuselage; the pilot sustained serious injuries.

The preflight weather briefing, obtained from commercial software used by the pilot prior to the flight, included a forecast for moderate turbulence below 18,000?ft at the location and time of the accident; the briefing’s graphical forecast for the accident time and location also predicted winds aloft from the west, mountain obscuration, and overcast skies with ceilings dropping to near or below the accident site’s elevation. The pilot stated he obtained local weather information by listening to automated airport weather station transmissions while enroute, and that the airplane was not equipped to display inflight weather data.

The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR26LA196 for the full record.