DEN88FA096

NTSB accident investigation · Piper PA-28-161 · Milford, UT · April 14, 1988

Accident · FatalField investigationFinal report
Date
April 14, 1988, 15:26 local (21:26 UTC)
Place
Milford, UT
Injuries
1 fatal
Damage
Destroyed
Phase of flight
Enroute
Aircraft
N3850MPiper PA-28-161
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report January 16, 1990
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
19880414063289A
Case key
17360

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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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.

In flight encounter with weatherCruise
Flight into known adverse weather - continuedPilot in commandCause
Weather condition - thunderstormFactor
Weather condition - turbulence(thunderstorms)Factor
Airframe/component/system failure/malfunctionCruise
Design stress limits of aircraft - exceededPilot in commandCause
Wing - overload
Wing - separation
Horizontal stabilizer surface - overload
Horizontal stabilizer surface - separation
In flight collision with terrain/waterDescent - uncontrolled

Analysis

The plt (with a recent instrument rating) rcvd a wx briefing fm cedar city (cdc) fss & filed an IFR flt plan fm provo (pvu) to st george (sgu). Current sgu wx wasn't available, but wx for cdc (abt 45 mi nne) was provided. The plt was adzdof moist unstable air, rain, obscured mtns & cumulus clouds along the route. Also, he was adzd of a PIREP concerning an enctr with clr icg nr cdc at 13,000'. Apchg Milford at 11,000', the pilot called cdc fss & rcvd a wx update. Current sgu wx was still not available, but he was adzd of thunderstorms en route. He returned to ARTCC freq, got clnc to descend to 10,000', then to climb to 12,000'. Soon thereafter, radio and radar contact were lost. Subsequently, the acft broke up in flt (wings & stabilizers sepd) & wreckage was scattered over a 1-1/4 mi area. No pre-accident cracks or fatigue was found. An aircraft was seen flying into a wx cell. Ground witnesses then heard an explosive noise and saw parts of the aircraft falling fm the wx cell. Soon thereafter, pea size hail fell fm the cloud.

Aircraft

Registration
N3850M
Reported as
Piper PA-28-161
Category
Airplane
Serial number
78 16380
Airframe hours
2,571
Engine
Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Sypherd, Shawn D.
Registered owner
Sypherd, Shawn D. Et. Al
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Departed
PVU · Provo, UT
Destination
SGU · St George, UT
Flight plan
IFR

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
22
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Seat
Left
Toxicology
Performed
Flight hours
167 total · 81 in this make and model · 118 as pilot in command

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
180° at 15 knots
Temperature
46 °F
Altimeter
29.00 inHg

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.