Nicholson THORP T-18CWS accident near Tooele, UT
On September 3, 2000, a Nicholson THORP T-18CWS (airplane) was involved in an accident near Tooele, UT. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 3, 2000
- Place
- Tooele, UT
- Aircraft
- Nicholson THORP T-18CWS · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 40.571°N, 112.329°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001212X21949
NTSB summary
On September 2, 2000, at approximately 1800 mountain daylight time, a Nicholson Thorp T-18CWS experimental homebuilt airplane, N24WN, was destroyed when it impacted the ground while maneuvering near Tooele, Utah. The commercial pilot and passenger received fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for this local personal flight being operated under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Wendover Airport, Wendover, Utah, at approximately 1730. According to the Tooele County Sheriff's Department, campers in the Knolls Recreational Park, located approximately 40 miles west of Tooele, Utah, and 5 miles south of Interstate Highway 80, saw the accident. They had seen the airplane doing aerobatics and said that the airplane was flying low when it experienced engine problems just prior to the accident. One witness stated that he heard the airplane approaching from the west on an eastbound heading. The witness said, "The airplane was at about 100 to 150 feet above the ground, traveling around 125 to 150 knots, when it appeared to attempt a 'wing-over maneuver' and pulled up to a steep, almost 'hammer-heading' stall, the nose came over in a slow loop. All foreword speed was gone and the airplane was upside down. The pilot managed to get his right wing down to roll the airplane correct and he throttled in to pull out of this stall. He was heading straight at our motor home, and the pilot maneuvered his airplane to avoid hitting us." Another witness stated, "The airplane was flying very low and then it headed straight up and m
Probable cause
Failure by the pilot to maintain control of the airplane during aerobatic maneuvers as a result of his alcohol impairment. Factors were: The pilot's inadequate planning and decision making and the inadequate altitude he choose for maneuvering.
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
