Cessna 320C accident near Provo, Utah, January 6, 1984
On January 6, 1984 at about 1:08 am local time, a Cessna 320C, registered N3037T, was destroyed in an accident near Provo, Utah (Provo Muni airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 6, 1984 · about 1:08 am local time
- Place
- Provo, Utah · Provo Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 320C · all 320Cs on the register
- Registration
- N3037T · registry record · serial 320C0037
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT HAD BEEN CLEARED FOR AN ILS RWY 13 APCH. A WITNESS, LOCATED JUST NORTH OF THE RWY, SAW AN ACFT PASS OVERHEAD & STATED THAT THE ACFT WAS NOT AN A CORRECT APCH. THE ACFT THEN BEGAN HEADING WEST AS IF TO CIRCLE FOR A 2ND APCH. THE WITNESS ALSO ESTIMATED THAT THE ACFT WAS ABOUT 200 FT AGL. THE ACFT SUBSEQUENTLY CRASHED INTO ICE-COVERED LAKE UTAH 2,725 FT TO THE RIGHT (WEST) OF THE RWY 13 CENTERLINE EXTENDED & 2,850 FT FROM THE APCH END OF RWY 13. THE ACCIDENT SITEWAS INSIDE THE MIDDLE MARKER (MISSED APPROACH POINT.) THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THE ACFT IMPACTED IN A LEFT WING LOW, NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. WX MINS FOR THE APCH WERE 300 FT CEILING & VISIBILITY 4 MI. THE LAST ENTRY IN THE PLT'S LOGBOOK WAS DATED 3/3/83. THERE WERE NO LOGBOOK ENTRIES FOR FLT TIME IN THE CESSNA 320 ACFT. THE ALTIMETER WAS FOUND SET TO 30.24. THE PLT WAS GIVEN AN ALTIMETER SETTING OF 30.34 PRIOR TO THE APCH.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 586 hours in all; 3,837 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-470-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4SD Reno NV at 10:50 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 13, 7,096 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded at 600 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.