- Date
- February 6, 2010, 10:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Kelton, UT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9227EMaule M-5-235C
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: VFR encounter with IMC
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 28, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100206026869A
- Case key
- 75344
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 non-instrument-rated pilot's decision to take off and fly into marginal weather conditions.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The private, non-instrument-rated pilot reported departing on a local personal flight. About 45 minutes after departure he encountered reduced visibility and elected to perform an off-field landing on a road. During the landing roll the airplane encountered a snow bank and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, rudder, and left wing during the accident sequence. The closest weather reporting station to the departure airport reported a visibility of 3/4 miles, mist with a few clouds at 400 feet above ground level, and a broken layer at 1,200 feet about the time of departure. The same station reported visibilities of 1/4 mile, fog, with a broken cloud layer of 200 feet, and overcast 700 feet at the time of the accident. The pilot did not obtain a weather briefing prior to departure; he additionally reported no preexisting mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.
Factual narrative
The private, non-instrument rated pilot reported departing on a local personal flight. About 45 minutes after departure he encountered reduced visibility and elected to perform an off-field landing on a road. During the landing roll the airplane encountered a snow bank, and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, rudder, and left wing during the accident sequence. The closest weather reporting station to the departure airport reported a visibility of 3/4 miles, mist, with a few clouds at 400 feet above ground level (agl) and a broken layer at 1,200 feet about the time of departure. The same station reported visibilities of 1/4 mile, fog, with a broken cloud layer of 200 feet, and overcast 700 feet at the time of the accident. The pilot did not obtain a weather briefing prior to departure, he additionally reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9227E
- Reported as
- Maule M-5-235C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7137C
- Airframe hours
- 1,617
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540 SERIES, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 21, 2009 · 27 hours before
- Departed
- BMC · Brigham City, UT
- Destination
- BMC · Brigham City, UT
- Airport
- BMC · Brigham City Airport
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
- 31
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 1, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 561 total · 316 in this make and model · 562 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 19 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 0 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 200 ft broken
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KLGU, 68 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 5, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 340 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.