Piper PA-32R-300 N7091C
4 August 1992 · Farmington, Utah, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 4 August 1992 at about 13:00 local time, a Piper PA-32R-300 registered N7091C, operated by University Research Found., was involved in an accident near Farmington, Utah, United States. 5 people were on board and 5 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 13:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Farmington, Utah, United States
- Coordinates
- 40.9798, -111.8991
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-300
- Registration
- N7091C
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- University Research Found.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Bountiful → Sidney
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- SEA92LA173
People
5 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S POOR INFLIGHT DECISION. FACTORS INCLUDE DOWNDRAFTS AND A BOX CANYON.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT OF THE PA-32R-300 ELECTED TO TURN INTO A BOX CANYON DURING HIS EN ROUTE CLIMB TO CRUISE. AT THE TIME HE TURNED INTO THE CANYON, THE PILOT FELT THAT THE RATE OF CLIMB WOULD ASSURE CLEARANCE OF THE RIDGE AT THE END OF THE CANYON. AFTER ENTERING THE CANYON THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED AN AREA OF DOWNDRAFTS. THE DESCENDING AIR REDUCED THE RATE OF CLIMB TO AN EXTENT THAT WOULD NOT ALLOW THE AIRCRAFT TO OUTCLIMB THE RISING TERRAIN. BY THIS TIME THE PILOT FELT THAT, BECAUSE OF THE NARROWNESS OF THE CANYON, HE COULD NOT SUCCESSFULLY REVERSE COURSE. HE THEREFORE ELECTED TO CONTINUE UP THE CANYON, WHERE HE EVENTUALLY FLEW THE AIRCRAFT THROUGH A CONTROLLED IMPACT WITH THE TERRAIN.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-32R accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Feb 1992 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States | Pribyls Wings, Inc | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jan 1992 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Edgartown, Massachusetts, United States | Gary Mead | Minor injuries | - |
| 16 Jul 1992 | Piper PA-32R-301T | Shafter, California, United States | Barry Zelner Prof. LAW Firm | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Jul 1992 | Piper PA-32R-301T | Greenville, Virginia, United States | Butler Air Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jun 1992 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Round Lake, Illinois, United States | Bitton, Daniel A. | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Feb 1992 | Piper PA-32R-301 | New York, New York, United States | Ronald F. Kaplan | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Jun 1992 | Bell 222UT | Scipio, Utah, United States | Air Methods Corporation | No injuries | - |
| 21 Nov 1992 | Cessna A152 | Tremonton, Utah, United States | Hill AFB Aero Club | No injuries | - |
| 30 May 1992 | Cessna 152 | Mt. Pleasant, Utah, United States | LEE Rowser | No injuries | - |
| 7 Jun 1992 | Beechcraft V35B | Panguitch, Utah, United States | Lane, Jeffrey G. | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Jul 1992 | Cessna 172L | Delta, Utah, United States | Carlson, Donald K. | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jul 1992 | Cessna 152 | Provo, Utah, United States | High Valley Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |