- Date
- June 18, 2003, 19:05 local (Jun 19, 2003, 01:05 UTC)
- Place
- Green River, UT
- Injuries
- 4 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N2537RPiper PA 28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 5, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Salt Lake City FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030618011189A
- Case key
- 57254
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
pilot's improper preflight planning and failure to maintain obstacle clearance. Contributing factors include improper short field takeoff procedures and the high vegetation at the end of the runway.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
According to the pilot, the airplane was departing to the west. The pilot stated that he had "failed to leave enough [room] to get proper airspeed" to clear the brush at the west end of the runway. The airplane impacted the brush. During the impact, the right wing separated from the airplane.
Factual narrative
On June 18, 2003, at approximately 1905 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA 28-180, N2537R, was substantially damaged when it impacted high vegetation at Mexican Mountain, a private airstrip northwest of Green River, Utah. The private pilot and his three passengers received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan had been filed for the cross-country flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight was originating at the time of the accident, bound for Richfield, Utah.
According to the pilot, the airplane was departing to the west. The pilot stated that he had "failed to leave enough [room] to get proper airspeed" to clear the brush at the west end of the runway. The airplane impacted the brush.
During the impact, the right wing was separated from the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2537R
- Reported as
- Piper PA 28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-5644
- Airframe hours
- 5,235
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 16, 2002 · 210 hours before
- Departed
- PVT · Mexican Mountai, UT
- Destination
- RIF · Richfield, UT
- Airport
- Mexican Mountain, runway 27, 1,300 × 50 ft, gravel
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 48
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- August 1, 2002
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 319 total · 226 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- PUC, 39 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.