Amateur-built DHC-6-300 accident near Monument Valley, Utah, May 5, 2000
On May 5, 2000 at about 7:47 pm local time, a amateur-built DHC-6-300, registered N241SA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Monument Valley, Utah (Monument Valley Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 17 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot-in-command's failure to maintain directional control. A factor was wind shear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 2000 · about 7:47 pm local time
- Place
- Monument Valley, Utah · Monument Valley Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 17 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC-6-300
- Registration
- N241SA · registry record · serial 556
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was departing runway 34 (4,000 ft. x 75 ft., dirt). According to the operator, the airplane encountered 'wind shear' from the right and then from the left. The takeoff was aborted. Directional control was lost and the airplane veered left and hit a dirt berm. Winds were reported to be from 210 degrees at 10 knots, with gusts to 20 knots.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,025 hours in all; 647 in this make and model; 273 in the last 90 days; 99 in the last 30 days; 1,485 as pilot in command; 663 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 39,514 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 2, 2000; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT-6A-27 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 71V at 7:45 pm
- Destination: GCN Grand Canyon AZ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 34, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from CEZ, 113 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 15 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N241SA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN00FA085.