Another one - Lake Tahoe 172

Was just up there a few weeks ago.. I wonder what the DA was at the time of this accident.

The day I was were there it was 8,700.. max gross takeoff.. SR22 performed as advertised in the POH, but you can *definitely* feel the altitude

Two people, full tanks, and a 160 hp 172.. that would be dicey. A 180 would be more favorable.. but on a hot day you'll run out of climb performance real fast. It's been hot in the mountains.. and it was fairly bumpy the day we were there. A 200 ft/min climb with a bumps and a few good downdrafts can ruin someone's day real fast

Sad.. you have to stay safe out there. Hopefully the surviving passenger pulls through
 
We flew out of KTVL on the Friday before this happened. Even at 10am, am density altitude was over 9k already. It does make it more challenging. Even my RV9 felt sluggish! That being said. No post accident fire. And they landed a few miles south of the airport where the elevation is around the same as the airport. Not sure if that indicates a climb out problem. I wonder if they ran out of gas or had an engine problem coming in.


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not that it's an excuse for poor fuel planning or a way to run tanks dry, but that's one of the things that bothers me about a 'both' option on fuel switches. If you run out of gas you're completely out of luck. At least if you switch between left and right, if you run out you hopefully have 15 or 20 minutes at least left in the other tank
 
Pretty common practice to leave Tahoe in morning with an hour plus of fuel for a 30 minute flight down the hill to KANU Auburn closer to Sacramento for a fuel stop.
 
Yeah, there is zero reason to take off from TVL, on a hot day, with anything but an hour plus reserves. Way too many airports in the Sacramento Valley with well priced gas. A 160 HP 172 is going to struggle, especially if not properly leaned.
 
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