What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) On August 9, 2008, at 0907 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 180K, N63217, impacted a beach in Garden City, Utah. The pilot,privacy data omitted, who was also the registered owner of the airplane, was operating it under the provisions of 14 code of federal aviation regulations part 91. The commercial pilot and one passenger were killed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The pilot departed from yellowstone airport (wys), west yellowstone, Montana, and was destined for bear lake county airport (1U7), paris, Idaho. According to a witness who was also a friend of the pilot, the pilot flew near the witness's cabin to signal that he was in the area and would need to be picked up at the paris airport. The witness provided a written statement and indicated that the pilot flew over the beach at 500 feet above ground level. He made a pass from east to west, with approximately 15 degrees of flaps extended. The then circled back and came over west to east. The then turned slightly south and then circled to the north and started toward paris. The airplane started to climb and then stalled, with the left wing dropping down. The airplane continued until inverted and impacted the beach vertically. Another witness who was a first officer for an airline, indicated that he was watching the airplane circle over the beach. The airplane appeared to be doing turns and banks in excess of 45 degrees. The airplane did several turns on the beach for about 2 to 3 minutes at altitudes less than 500 feet. Then, the pilot started flying north over the water along the beach, the nose of the airplane suddenly pitched up, the left wing dipped, and the nose swung around like a hammerhead. The airplane then "went into a nose-dive straight into the ground." The airplane came to rest on a sandy beach about 50 feet from the shoreline of bear lake, on a heading of south-southeast. The wreckage was primarily confined to the impact area, other than the left main landing gear tire, which was located 304 feet north of the wreckage. The engine was partially buried in the sand and a portion of one propeller blade was visible. The cabin area sustained extensive impact damage. The wreckage was recovered for futher examination. An amended report will be filed if any changes are found.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) ON AUGUST 9, 2008, AT 0907 MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 180K, N63217, IMPACTED A BEACH IN GARDEN CITY, UTAH. THE PILOT,^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, WHO WAS ALSO THE REGISTERED OWNER OF THE AIRPLANE, WAS OPERATING IT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CODE OF FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS PART 91. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER WERE KILLED. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PILOT DEPARTED FROM YELLOWSTONE AIRPORT (WYS), WEST YELLOWSTONE, MONTANA, AND WAS DESTINED FOR BEAR LAKE COUNTY AIRPORT (1U7), PARIS, IDAHO. ACCORDING TO A WITNESS WHO WAS ALSO A FRIEND OF THE PILOT, THE PILOT FLEW NEAR THE WITNESS'S CABIN TO SIGNAL THAT HE WAS IN THE AREA AND WOULD NEED TO BE PICKED UP AT THE PARIS AIRPORT. THE WITNESS PROVIDED A WRITTEN STATEMENT AND INDICATED THAT THE PILOT FLEW OVER THE BEACH AT 500 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL. HE MADE A PASS FROM EAST TO WEST, WITH APPROXIMATELY 15 DEGREES OF FLAPS EXTENDED. THE THEN CIRCLED BACK AND CAME OVER WEST TO EAST. THE THEN TURNED SLIGHTLY SOUTH AND THEN CIRCLED TO THE NORTH AND STARTED TOWARD PARIS. THE AIRPLANE STARTED TO CLIMB AND THEN STALLED, WITH THE LEFT WING DROPPING DOWN. THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED UNTIL INVERTED AND IMPACTED THE BEACH VERTICALLY. ANOTHER WITNESS WHO WAS A FIRST OFFICER FOR AN AIRLINE, INDICATED THAT HE WAS WATCHING THE AIRPLANE CIRCLE OVER THE BEACH. THE AIRPLANE APPEARED TO BE DOING TURNS AND BANKS IN EXCESS OF 45 DEGREES. THE AIRPLANE DID SEVERAL TURNS ON THE BEACH FOR ABOUT 2 TO 3 MINUTES AT ALTITUDES LESS THAN 500 FEET. THEN, THE PILOT STARTED FLYING NORTH OVER THE WATER ALONG THE BEACH, THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE SUDDENLY PITCHED UP, THE LEFT WING DIPPED, AND THE NOSE SWUNG AROUND LIKE A HAMMERHEAD. THE AIRPLANE THEN "WENT INTO A NOSE-DIVE STRAIGHT INTO THE GROUND." THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST ON A SANDY BEACH ABOUT 50 FEET FROM THE SHORELINE OF BEAR LAKE, ON A HEADING OF SOUTH-SOUTHEAST. THE WRECKAGE WAS PRIMARILY CONFINED TO THE IMPACT AREA, OTHER THAN THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR TIRE, WHICH WAS LOCATED 304 FEET NORTH OF THE WRECKAGE. THE ENGINE WAS PARTIALLY BURIED IN THE SAND AND A PORTION OF ONE PROPELLER BLADE WAS VISIBLE. THE CABIN AREA SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE IMPACT DAMAGE. THE WRECKAGE WAS RECOVERED FOR FUTHER EXAMINATION. AN AMENDED REPORT WILL BE FILED IF ANY CHANGES ARE FOUND.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.