Piper PA31-325 N18PP
26 April 1990 · Cedar City, Utah, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 26 April 1990 at about 04:30 local time, a Piper PA31-325 registered N18PP, operated by 18PP, Inc., was involved in an accident near Cedar City, Utah, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 04:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Cedar City, Utah, United States
- Nearest airport
- Cedar City Munic. (CDC)
- Coordinates
- 37.5900, -113.1891
- Aircraft
- Piper PA31-325
- Registration
- N18PP
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- 18PP, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Denver → Reno
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- DEN90FA100
People
4 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT FAILED TO MAINTAIN A MINIMUM SAFE ALTITUDE OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN DURING A NIGHT VFR APPROACH FOR LANDING.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
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.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA31 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Nov 1990 | Piper PA31 | Enumclaw, Washington, United States | Bramwell, Steven T | Serious injuries | - |
| 10 Dec 1991 | Piper PA31-350 | Temple Bar, Arizona, United States | Las Vegas Airlines, Inc. | Fatal | 5 |
| 28 Apr 1994 | Piper PA31 | Stratford, Connecticut, United States | Action Air Charters | Fatal | 8 |
| 24 Oct 1983 | Piper PA31-350 | Chillicothe, Missouri, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 May 1997 | Piper PA31-350 | St Thomas | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Aug 1983 | Piper PA31-310 | Mount Vernon, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Apr 1990 | Schweizer SGS 2-33A | Morgan, Utah, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 1990 | Cessna 172XP | Hurricane, Utah, United States | Mark/Lavinia Besolo | No injuries | - |
| 23 Apr 1990 | Piper PA-28-181 | Bountiful, Utah, United States | Stead, Robert T. | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 May 1990 | Cessna 205 | Bluff, Utah, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 May 1990 | Cessna 152 | Delta, Utah, United States | Central Utah Aviation | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 May 1990 | Luscombe 8F | Morgan, Utah, United States | Douglas H. Harris | No injuries | - |