Cessna 172 accident near Tremonton, Utah, August 27, 1989
On August 27, 1989 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N4129F, was destroyed in an accident near Tremonton, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT FAILED TO MAINTAIN OBSTRUCTION CLEARANCE WHILE MAKING A LOW PASS OVER A NEWLY CONSTRUCTED HIGHWAY. THE POWERLINE WAS CONSIDERED A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 1989 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Tremonton, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N4129F · no longer on the register · serial 46029
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS MAKING A LOW PASS OVER A NEWLY CONSTRUCTED INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, WHEN THE AIRPLANE STRUCK AN UNMARKED POWER LINE. AFTER HITTING THE POWER LINE, A LARGE PORTION OF THE VERTICAL STABILIZER AND RUDDER SEPARATED FROM THE AIRPLANE. THE AIRPLANE THEN CRASHED IN AN OPEN FIELD APPROXIMATELY 1500 FEET BEYOND THE POWER LINE.
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
- Flight time: 170 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 121 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,488 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 9, 1989; 125 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U27 Tremonton UT at 9:45 pm
- Destination: U27
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.