Cessna 172N accident near Kamas, Utah, August 13, 2000
On August 13, 2000 at about 2:20 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N734UD, was destroyed in an accident near Kamas, Utah. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 13, 2000 · about 2:20 am local time
- Place
- Kamas, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N734UD · no longer on the register · serial 17269117
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,250 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,443 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 23, 2000; 111 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,220 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BTF Bountiful UT at 1:30 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.