Aviat Aircraft Inc A accident near Herriman, UT
On July 13, 2017, an Aviat Aircraft Inc A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Herriman, UT. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 13, 2017
- Place
- Herriman, UT
- Aircraft
- Aviat Aircraft Inc A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 40.486°N, 112.174°W
- NTSB ID
- 20170713X31937
Official records · WPR17FA149
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 13, 2017, about 0940 mountain daylight time, an Aviat A1-B airplane, N211AM, impacted terrain while maneuvering near Herriman, Utah. The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction were fatally injured; the airplane was destroyed during the postimpact fire. The airplane was privately owned and operated by the instructor as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the area and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which departed South Valley Regional Airport (U42), West Jordan, Utah, about 0927. A law enforcement officer who was driving west at a higher elevation than the accident site saw the airplane flying low up a canyon. He turned away briefly, and when he looked back, the airplane made a steep right turn and its nose dropped, and the airplane appeared to be losing altitude quickly. The trooper also stated that it appeared that they had nowhere to go and was making a last-ditch attempt to escape. He was able to see the tops of both wings while the airplane was in the turn. He did not see any smoke coming from the airplane. As he continued driving, he lost sight of the airplane and eventually pulled over to see if the airplane had climbed out of the canyon. He then drove further up the canyon and saw smoke rising from the bottom of the canyon in the area that he had last seen the airplane. Radar data obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that, after takeoff, the airplane flew on a southwesterly heading toward and into the box
Probable cause
The flight instructor's decision to conduct a low-altitude flight into a box canyon in high density altitude conditions and his failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering to escape the canyon, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall.
More accidents in UT
- Beech A100, Aug 22, 2008
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Browse: Utah · Aviat 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.
