Piper PA-32R-301T accident near Glen Canyon, Utah, July 14, 1985
On July 14, 1985 at about 3:45 am local time, a Piper PA-32R-301T, registered N8409V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Glen Canyon, Utah (Bullfrog Basin airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 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
- July 14, 1985 · about 3:45 am local time
- Place
- Glen Canyon, Utah · Bullfrog Basin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-301T PA-32R-301 · all PA-32R-301Ts on the register
- Registration
- N8409V · no longer on the register · serial 32R-8129085
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT SAID THAT DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL AT NIGHT FROM AN UNLIT RUNWAY, HE WAS DISTRACTED WHEN THE ENGINE OVERBOOST LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED, HOWEVER, THAT THE PLT WAS ACTUALLY TRYING TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH AN AIRPLANE AT THE OTHER END OF THE RUNWAY THAT WAS BEING USED FOR DIRECTIONAL GUIDANCE. THIS WAS AN FAR 135 AIR TAXI FLT WITH PASSENGERS ABOARD.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,339 hours in all; 63 in this make and model; 269 in the last 90 days; 1,209 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,538 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 11, 1985; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Alpine Aviation
The flight
- Destination: PVU Provo UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1, 3,500 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 330° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 am from CDC, 105 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.