Maule M-5-235C accident near West Jordan, Utah, May 25, 2001
On May 25, 2001 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Maule M-5-235C, registered N9181E, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Jordan, Utah (Salt Lake City Muni 2 airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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 inadvertently flaring the airplane too high above the ground, resulting in a hard landing that sheared a bolt in the tail wheel assembly. This rendered directional control impossible and induced an uncontrolled ground loop. A contributing factor was the crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 25, 2001 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- West Jordan, Utah · Salt Lake City Muni 2
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-5-235C · all M-5-235Cs on the register
- Registration
- N9181E · registry record · serial 7132C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot noted the wind sock indicated the wind was about 20 degrees left of runway centerline. After making a normal crosswind landing, the airplane nosed to the right and he made a correction. When the airplane assumed a three point attitude, it veered to the left. He corrected with right rudder "without letting the wind under left wing" but it had no effect and the airplane departed the runway and nosed over. The pilot said the bolt securing the tail wheel leaf spring had sheared and the tail wheel was driven up against the rudder. A search of the area failed to locate the nut or the bolt end. He said the break was an "extrusion and clean downward shear," but an FAA inspector who examined the airplane stated the damage was consistent with that of a hard landing. Official recorded winds were 320 degrees at 7 knots, with gusts to 14 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 425 hours in all; 12 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,355 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 29, 2000; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J1A5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S67 Nampa ID at 7:23 pm
- Destination: U42 West Jordan UT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 34, 5,860 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 7 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from SLC, 14 miles away
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.
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 DEN01LA104.