Mcdonnell Douglas A-4N accident near Salt Lake City, Utah, May 10, 2003
On May 10, 2003 at about 6:09 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas A-4N, registered N263WL, was destroyed in an accident near Salt Lake City, Utah. It was a positioning flight under public-use (government) rules. 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The lose of engine power during descent due to the in-flight collision with a bird which FOD damaged the engine and subsequently melted the turbine section. A contributing factor was the airplane's malfunctioning ejection seat.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 10, 2003 · about 6:09 pm local time
- Place
- Salt Lake City, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas A-4N · all A-4Ns on the register
- Registration
- N263WL · no longer on the register · serial 159523
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was a former military (non-certificated) aircraft which was under contract to the U.S. Army. It was descending over the Great Salt Lake for landing at Hill Air Force Base when the engine ingested a bird. Subsequently the engine was heavily FOD damaged, and the turbine section was melted. The pilot ejected from the airplane, but the ejection seat system malfunctioned and the pilot was fatally injured. The airplane impacted the lake. The airplane had been contracted and built for the Israeli Defense Force in 1974. The maintenance log books and physical evidence indicated that they had made modifications to the ejection seat assembly. Naval Air Station (NAVAIR DEPOT), Jacksonville, Florida, personnel evaluated the ejection seat system and determined that the left hand coupling assembly (which has very critical parameters for proper operation) had not separated as designed. The NAVAIR DEPOT personnel could not determine the reason the left hand coupling assembly did not operate properly, as the airplane's cockpit was not recovered from the Great Salt Lake.
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 engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,500 hours in all; 199 in this make and model
- Last flight review: November 20, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,664 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, May 4, 2003; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 24,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney J52 P-408 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IWA Mesa AZ at 5:00 pm
- Destination: HIF Ogden UT
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,400 ft; a few clouds at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 6:11 pm from SLC, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.