Piper PA-24-250 accident near Clearfield, Utah, June 14, 1985
On June 14, 1985, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N7259P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Clearfield, Utah. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were 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
- June 14, 1985
- Place
- Clearfield, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N7259P · no longer on the register · serial 24-2435
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT/OWNER WAS RECEIVING A CAP CHECK RIDE WITH AN INSTRUCTOR PLT & A PASSENGER ABOARD THE ACFT. THE PLT REPORTED THAT DURING A SIMULATED ENG OUT EXCERCISE, THE ACFT GOT WITHIN 200 FT OF THE GROUND WHEN THE INSTURCTOR 'GAVE ME ENGINE POWER BACK.' THE ACFT CONTINUED TO DESCEND & SUBSEQUENTLY HIT THE GROUND. THE PLT STATED THAT THE ENG APPEARED TO NEVER REGAIN POWER. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 523 hours in all; 110 in this make and model; 53 in the last 90 days; 388 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,732 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 12, 1985; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Bountiful UT at 11:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 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.