- Date
- April 25, 1990, 22:30 local (Apr 26, 1990, 04:30 UTC)
- Place
- Cedar City, UT
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N18PPPiper PA31-325
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 21, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900425016469A
- Case key
- 17829
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
The pilot failed to maintain a minimum safe altitude over mountainous terrain during a night VFR approach for landing.
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
The pilot reported to ATC that he intended to make an unscheduled fuel stop. ATC advised that Cedar City airport was fifteen minutes away. Radar vectors were requested and were issued. Although dark night conditions existed and the pilot controlled airport lighting was never activated, the pilot reported the airport in sight and was cleared for a visual approach. Three minutes later radar contact was lost. Impact occurred in mountainous terrain at 9,100 feet elevation about six miles east of the 5,622 foot elevation airport. Minimum safe altitude was 12,400 feet.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N18PP
- Reported as
- Piper PA31-325
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 51-7512046
- Airframe hours
- 2,260
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-F2BD, 325 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- 18pp, Inc.
- Registered owner
- N18pp Inc A Delaware Corp.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 12, 1990 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- DEN · Denver, CO
- Destination
- RNO · Reno, NV
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- CDC · Cedar City Munic.
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
- 54
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CDC, 6 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.