Piper PA-28R-180 accident near Ogden, Utah, August 31, 2005
On August 31, 2005, a Piper PA-28R-180, registered N9069E, was destroyed in an accident near Ogden, Utah (Ogden-Hinckley airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight instructor's failure to maintain adequate airspeed resulting in an inadvertent stall. Contributing factor's include the flight instructor's improper pre-flight planning and decision in accepting the intersection departure, and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 2005
- Place
- Ogden, Utah · Ogden-Hinckley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-180 · all PA-28R-180s on the register
- Registration
- N9069E · no longer on the register · serial 28R-30035
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the flight instructor, they were cleared to taxi and had accepted an intersection departure. During the initial takeoff, the private pilot was at the flight controls. The flight instructor reported that the private pilot rotated at "70 knots" and the airplane "jumped off the runway and drifted left and then made a slight hop on the main gear." The flight instructor stated that he took control of the airplane and held it "level in ground effect for several seconds to get it to accelerate." He stated that the stall horn was audible. The flight instructor stated that he initiated a slight turn to the right towards lower terrain. According to several witnesses the airplane appeared to be having difficulty climbing. The airplane struck a telephone pole, nosed down, and impacted the roof of a two story house, causing substantial damage to the house and destroying the airplane. An examination of the airplane's systems revealed no anomalies. The flight instructor stated the airplane was 300 pounds under gross weight. The control tower reported 4,700 feet available from the land and hold short line at intersection Delta to the end of runway 21. According to the AFM the airplane should have had a climb rate of 650 feet per minute. The distance required for take-off varied from approximately 2,000 feet (zero degrees flaps and no 50 foot obstacle) to 3,250 feet (zero degrees flaps with a 50 foot obstacle).
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,710 hours in all; 190 in this make and model; 44 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 1,645 as pilot in command; 1,309 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 164 hours in all; 5 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: September 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,607 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: OGD Ogden UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 8,103 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
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.