Mooney M20J accident near Grantsville, Utah, October 4, 2003
On October 4, 2003 at about 7:10 pm local time, a Mooney M20J, registered N201KM, was destroyed in an accident near Grantsville, Utah. It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate visual outlook during low level flight maneuvers that resulted in a collision with terrain. A contributing factor was the pilot's attention being diverted.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 4, 2003 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Grantsville, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · all M20Js on the register
- Registration
- N201KM · no longer on the register · serial 24-0457
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The purpose of the flight was to locate and photograph raptor nests as part of a volunteer program for the Bureau of Land Management's Raptor Inventory Nest Survey. The pilot said he was circling a rock outcropping in a clockwise direction when his front seat passenger "leaned forward and began pointing toward the front of the aircraft with his left arm at what was assumed to be a bird's nest. The passenger maintained this position and called out several times to the rear seat passengers, 'There, there it is!' Unfortunately, the passenger's position obscured the pilot's view from the center post of the windscreen through the starboard [right] side window during a portion of the clockwise turn. Shortly before impact, a climbing right turn was initiated, but the left wing contacted the terrain and the aircraft came to rest against a rock outcropping."
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 instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,615 hours in all; 599 in this make and model; 67 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 2,535 as pilot in command; 842 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 14, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,793 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 4, 2003; 167 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLC Salt Lake City UT at 4:50 pm
- Destination: SLC
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 8,500 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from SLC, 45 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 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.