Aircraft Mfg & Dev. Co. (Amd) CH2000 accident near Milford, Utah, January 2, 2003
On January 2, 2003 at about 5:00 am local time, a Aircraft Mfg & Dev. Co. (Amd) CH2000, registered N8500R, was destroyed in an accident near Milford, Utah. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the inadequate altitude chosen by the flight instructor, resulting in inadequate clearance and subsequent collision with mountainous terrain. Contributing factors were the instructor's failure to consult pertinent VFR sectional charts for the area, and the dark night conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 2, 2003 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Milford, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aircraft Mfg & Dev. Co. (Amd) CH2000
- Registration
- N8500R · no longer on the register · serial 20-0061
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The two pilots received an in-person weather briefing from the Flight Service Station at 2000. They said that they would later air-file an IFR flight plan so that they could practice instrument approaches. They departed about 2100. Approximately 2200, the Sheriff's Office received a 9-1-1 cellular telephone call from one of the airplane's occupants, advising that they had crashed, one of the occupants was trapped in the wreckage, and that he was unable to activate the ELT (emergency locator transmitter). Using NTAP (National Track Analysis Program) data from the Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) and homing in on the cellular telephone signals, the wreckage was located about midnight. The two pilots were airlifted to a hospital in serious condition. One of the pilots told a sheriff's detective that they did not see the mountain. The accident site was at an elevation of about 8,500 feet msl. The Sectional Chart depicted terrain in that area at 8,840 feet msl. The instructor was reportedly "familiar with the area" and did not consult his VFR sectional charts. U.S. Naval Observatory data indicated the Moon's phase was a waning crescent, with 1 percent of the visible disk illuminated.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: 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: 1,200 hours in all; 570 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 1,100 as pilot in command; 900 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 28, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 75 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 33 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 31, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 460 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 25, 2002; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,606 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-N2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CDC Cedar City UT at 3:45 am
- Destination: DTA Delta UT
- Flight plan: VFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.37 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 am from MLF, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.