Cessna 172N N734UD

Summary

On 13 August 2000 at about 02:20 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N734UD was involved in an accident near Kamas, Utah, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 August 2000 at 02:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Kamas, Utah, United States

Coordinates

40.6201, -111.1505

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N734UD

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bountiful → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

DEN00FA149

1 person died.

The pilot's improper inflight decision to enter a valley at low altitude and attempt a climb towards rising terrain. A factor was exceeding the airplane's climb performance.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The surviving passenger, a hunter, hired the pilot to fly him around a wilderness area because he wanted to 'learn the country and spot animals' before the hunting season started. The pilot told the passenger he had never flown over the wilderness area before. The passenger said the airplane performed normally throughout the flight. He said they were 'not low' as they turned up a valley and started climbing towards rising terrain, but a nearby camper reported seeing an airplane fly up the valley at a low altitude shortly before the estimated time of the accident. As the airplane approached the summit, it struck trees, nosed into the ground, and rolled inverted. According to the airplane operator, the pilot had taken the airplane without their permission.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.