Cessna 172 accident near Bryce Canyon, Utah, January 30, 1982
On January 30, 1982 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N5447E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bryce Canyon, Utah (Bryce Canyon airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 30, 1982 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bryce Canyon, Utah · Bryce Canyon
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N5447E · no longer on the register · serial 17271871
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER ARRIVING FROM A CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT, THE PILOT LANDED ON AN ICY RUNWAY WITH CALM WIND CONDITIONS. DURING GROUND ROLL, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN SLIDING TO THE LEFT. THE LEFT WHEEL HIT SNOW AND PULLED THE AIRCRAFT FURTHER LEFT. THE PILOT APPLIED RIGHT RUDDER AND RIGHT BRAKE, BUT THE PLANE CONTINUED LEFT INTO A SNOWBANK.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,068 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 788 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,800 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Phoenix AZ at 6:30 am
- Destination: Ogden UT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 3, 7,400 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.