- Date
- February 27, 2025, 13:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Heber City, UT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N345HUAviat A-1
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- 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
- 20250227001699A
- Case key
- 199775
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 loss of directional control during landing, which resulted in a collision with a snowbank.
Findings · 2
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 stated that after departure he flew for over an hour and 15 minutes and then was maneuvering the airplane when he felt pressure in his inner ears. He was unable to equalize the pressure and opted to land back at the airport. He configured the airplane for landing, but was focused on getting relief for his ears. The airplane touched down normally and he manipulated the flight control stick fully aft. The pilot experienced a loss of directional control and the left tire collided with a snowbank. The airplane flipped over and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the rudder. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N345HU
- Reported as
- Aviat A-1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1312
- Built
- 1996
- Airframe hours
- 50
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Back Country N345hu LLC
- Registered owner
- Back Country N345hu LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · July 31, 2024
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- HCR · Heber Valley, runway 04/22, 6,898 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, Stall warning system
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
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 18, 2024
- Seat
- Center
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 214 total · 32 in this make and model · 112 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.34 inHg
- Observed at
- KHCR
- METAR
- KHCR 272235Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 07/M08 A3034 RMK AO2 T00661081
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 11, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.4 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.