# Accident 20080809843159A: Cessna 180K, Garden City, UT, August 9, 2008

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 9, 2008, 09:07 local time
- Place: Garden City, UT
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.9356° N, 111.3883° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.9356&lon=-111.3883&mi=10
- Aircraft: N63217, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N63217-2013-04-29) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 180K (registry code 2072624, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-180k) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental O-470 series (registry code 17026, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 180K
- Reported engine: CONT O470U
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 615 total, 436 in this make and model, 89 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB SEA08FA175](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA08FA175) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080809843159A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-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.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB SEA08FA175](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA08FA175), Aug 9, 2008: Cessna 180K (N63217), Garden City, UT, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which led to an aerodynamic stall/spin.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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