Amateur-built THORP T-18CWS accident near Tooele, Utah, September 3, 2000
On September 3, 2000, a amateur-built THORP T-18CWS, registered N24WN, was destroyed in an accident near Tooele, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure by the pilot to maintain control of the airplane during aerobatic maneuvers as a result of his alcohol impairment. Factors were: The pilot's inadequate planning and decision making and the inadequate altitude he choose for maneuvering.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 2000
- Place
- Tooele, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built THORP T-18CWS THORP T-18
- Registration
- N24WN · no longer on the register · serial 1424
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported that they had seen the airplane doing aerobatics and that it was traveling around 125 to 150 knots, at about 100 to 150 feet above the ground when it went straight up, made a half turn, dropped tail first, rolled over into a dive and impacted the ground. An FAA inspector stated that his examination of the accident site indicated that the airplane impacted the ground in a near vertical attitude. The sheriff reported that the cockpit smelled of alcohol. Toxicology tests identified the pilot's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) as .22% in muscle and .23% in kidney, three times Utah's legal intoxication level of .08%. The pilot was involved in a previous accident involving the same airplane, which received substantial damage when it collided with power lines during a precautionary landing. The Sheriff's Office report on the first accident states that, upon arriving at the site, the trooper could not locate the pilot. He reported evidence of alcohol at the scene, and stated that witnesses said the pilot appeared to be intoxicated.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,200 hours in all; 25 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,550 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ENV Wendover UT
- Destination: SL2 Salt Lake City UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 10 knots, gusting 14
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N24WN the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.