Cessna 172P accident near Spanish Fork, UT
On August 13, 2004, a Cessna 172P (airplane) was involved in an accident near Spanish Fork, UT. 4 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 13, 2004
- Place
- Spanish Fork, UT
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · Airplane
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 4 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 40.199°N, 111.351°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040817X01232
NTSB summary
On August 13, 2004, approximately 0700 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N6249K, piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed when it impacted trees and terrain while maneuvering approximately 20 miles east of Spanish Fork, Utah. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The local personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and three passengers on board the airplane were seriously injured. The flight originated at Spanish Fork approximately 0530. According to the pilot's accident report, and corroborated in a conversation with his father and an FAA investigator, the pilot sustained "major head trauma" and could not recall any details about the accident. The following is based on a conversation with the passenger in the right front seat and a Cessna Aircraft investigator: They took off approximately 0530 with what he believed to be full fuel tanks (flying club policy was to fill the tanks at the end of the day). They had been flying approximately 1.5 hours when the accident occurred. They were flying in a canyon and climbing towards a ridge. The pilot was moving the throttle in and out, and the engine sputtered shortly before the first tree strike. He was able to extricate himself from the wreckage and hiked out to seek help. The following is based on a conversation with the passenger in the left rear seat and an FAA inspector and a Cessna Aircraft investigator: The purpose of the flight was to look for elk in the Maple Mountain and Teat Mountain areas. They took off between
Probable cause
the pilot's improper inflight planning and decision making, and his failure to maintain terrain clearance. Contributing factors were his intentional low altitude flight and maneuvering, the aircraft's climb performance being exceeded, and the trees.
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Browse: Utah · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
