- Date
- February 27, 1996, 17:20 local (Feb 28, 1996, 00:20 UTC)
- Place
- Grantsville, UT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N24WNNicholson Thorp T18CWS
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 25, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960227003169A
- Case key
- 42342
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's failure to maintain clearance from a powerline. A transmission wire and an oil pressure reading of zero were factors.
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 that while flying at 600 feet above ground level, he noticed that there was no oil pressure indication. He attempted a precautionary landing to a paved road, but had to initiate a go-around because of a truck on the road. During the go-around, the airplane collided with a power line that was approximately 100 feet AGL. The airplane was unable to maintain flight and subsequently collided with the terrain.
Factual narrative
On February 27, 1996, at 1720 mountain standard time, a homebuilt Nicholson Thorp T18CWS, N24WN, registered to and operated by the pilot as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, collided with power lines during a precautionary landing, approximately 25 miles west of Grantsville, Utah. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated from Wendover, Utah, about 30 minutes before the accident.
During an interview and subsequent written statement, the pilot reported that he was flying one of three planes in a flight en route to Salt Lake City, Utah. The pilot stated that while flying at approximately 600 feet above ground level, he noticed there was no oil pressure. The pilot initiated a precautionary landing to a paved road and noted that there was a truck on the road, but felt that it would be out of the way by the time he landed. The truck, however, was not clear and the pilot initiated a go- around. During the go-around, the airplane collided with a transmission line that was approximately 100 feet above ground level. The airplane was unable to maintain flight and subsequently collided with the terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N24WN
- Reported as
- Nicholson Thorp T18CWS (THORP T18C)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1424
- Airframe hours
- 429
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William L. Nicholson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 12, 1995 · 131 hours before
- Departed
- ENV · Wendover, UT
- Destination
- U42 · Salt Lake City, UT
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
- 55
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,930 total · 429 in this make and model · 1,706 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 2 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 32 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N24WN · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.