| Crash location | 45.926945°N, 118.130834°W
Reported location is a long distance from the NTSB's reported nearest city. This often means that the location has a typo, or is incorrect. |
| Nearest city | Milton-Freewater, OR
45.932635°N, 118.387743°W 12.4 miles away |
| Tail number | N323MQ |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 28 Feb 2018 |
| Aircraft type | Piper PA28R |
| Additional details: | None |
The flight instructor reported that after conducting flight maneuvers during an instructional flight, he and the student proceeded to sightsee around mountainous terrain at 800 to 1000 ft above ground level. He added that, after the pilot receiving instruction maneuvered around rising terrain, the airplane was moving toward "fairly significant" terrain. The flight instructor reported that "it was assumed" that the airplane had the necessary performance to out climb the rising terrain ahead, but he soon realized that the airplane was in a "box canyon" and would not be able to climb above the rising terrain. The flight instructor took the flight controls, "pitched the aircraft up to stall speed", and the airplane impacted trees.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing.
The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The pilot receiving instruction’s and flight instructor’s improper decision to enter a canyon surrounded by steep rising terrain and their subsequent failure to maintain clearance from terrain while maneuvering at a low altitude.