- Date
- January 24, 2023, 17:45 local (Jan 25, 2023, 00:45 UTC)
- Place
- Rich County, UT · Coordinates provided pilot from accident site
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N23FDBeech C23
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20230124000779A
- Case key
- 106647
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 inability to maintain altitude following an encounter with turbulence and adverse wind conditions.
Findings · 4
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 pilot reported that she encountered unexpected winds while flying at night. After multiple encounters with strong wind gusts and turbulence, the pilot lost control of the airplane and it started to spin downward. She was able to successfully recover from the spin, but was forced to search for a suitable landing site as she was unable to maintain altitude. The pilot executed a forced landing in an open snow-covered area and the airplane stopped abruptly, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N23FD
- Reported as
- Beech C23
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- M-1663
- Airframe hours
- 1,674.87
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4J, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 2022 · 89.84 hours before
- Departed
- KEVW · Evanston, UT
- Destination
- TWF · Twin Falls, ID
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Stall warning system, Onboard weather
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
- 41
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 17, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 689.5 total · 28.6 in this make and model · 68.6 in the last 90 days · 32.5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 220° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 12 °F, dew point 10 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- KEVW, 18 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KEVW 250153Z AUTO 22013KT 10SM FEW015 SCT025 BKN100 M11/M12 A3020 RMK AO2 SLP302 T11061122 $=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 23, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.5 MB 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.