N13221

On November 10, 2025, at about 1515 Pacific standard time, Cessna 172M, N13221, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Poleta, California. A pilot-rated passenger and a passenger were fatally injured, and the pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

On the day of the accident, the pilot rented the airplane from a flight school at North Las Vegas Airport (VGT), Las Vegas, Nevada. According to the flight school, the airplane was fueled to capacity. ADS-B data indicated the airplane subsequently departed for a flight to Bishop Airport (BIH), Bishop, California, at 1159.

At 1416, the airplane arrived at BIH. The pilot purchased about 10 gallons of fuel from the self-serve fuel pump. The airplane subsequently departed from runway 17 at 1505. The airplane began a climbing left turn to the southeast and approached a mountain range with terrain elevations that reached up to about 9,000 ft msl. (See Figure 1). The last ADS-B return was recorded at 1514 and captured the airplane at 6,850 ft msl.

Figure 1: Flight path of the accident airplane.

Figure 2: The ADS-B flight track, shown in red, overlaid on a topographic map of the canyon.

When the airplane failed to return to VGT, the flight school contacted local law enforcement, who subsequently contacted the FAA. The FAA then issued an Alert Notice (ALNOT). The airplane was located the day after the accident at about 0600.

The accident site was located in the east end of a canyon about 9.6 miles southeast of BIH, and about 1.3 miles northeast of the last ADS-B return. The terrain elevation at the bottom of the canyon rose from 4,400 ft msl near the opening (which faced west) and reached about 7,600 ft msl near the east end of the canyon.

The airplane came to rest at an altitude of about 7,000 ft msl on a shale-covered slope on the north face of the canyon. The wreckage lay on a heading of about 077° magnetic. The airplane was surrounded by fragments of interior plastics and the windows. The main cabin doors had separated and came to rest downslope of the main wreckage. (See Figure 3).

Figure 3: A view of the main wreckage, with the camera facing southwest.

The wings, empennage, and engine remained attached to the fuselage. Several gallons of fuel were present in each fuel tank. Upon visual examination, the engine exhibited no indications of internal catastrophic engine failure. The propeller remained attached to the crankshaft flange. One propeller blade had separated and was found imbedded in the soil near the main wreckage. Visual examination of the propeller blades revealed leading edge chipping, S-bending, and chordwise striations.

The aircraft was retained for further examination.