Piper PA-24-180 accident near Grantsville, Utah, September 7, 1989
On September 7, 1989, a Piper PA-24-180, registered N7835P, was destroyed in an accident near Grantsville, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT, BY ENTERING A BOX CANYON WITH INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO ASSURE A SAFE EXIT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: BOX CANYON, RISING TERRAIN, AND HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 7, 1989
- Place
- Grantsville, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-180 · all PA-24-180s on the register
- Registration
- N7835P · no longer on the register · serial 24-3055
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT & PASSENGER TOOK OFF ON A LOCAL FLT AT 1801 MDT. WHEN THE ACFT DID NOT RETURN, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. THE ACFT WAS FOUND THE NEXT MORNING WHERE IT HAD CRASHED & BURNED ON THE SIDE OF A BOX CANYON. ENTRANCE TO THE CANYON WAS FROM THE SOUTHEAST. THE ACFT CRASHED ON STEEP TERRAIN ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE CANYON. IMPACT WAS ON A SOUTHERLY HEADING. IMPACT MARKS (FRAGMENTED & GOUGED ROCKS) WERE FOUND ABOUT 50 FT UPSLOPE FROM WHERE THE MAIN WRECKAGE CAME TO REST. MUCH OF THE WRECKAGE WAS DEMOLISHED BY FIRE. AN EXAM OF THE RGT WING REVEALED CHORDWISE CRUSHING OF ITS LOWER SKIN. BOTH PROP BLADES WERE BENT & TWISTED; THE TIPS OF BOTH PROPS WERE TORN OFF. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. DENSITY ALTITUDE AT THE CRASH SITE WAS APRX 7000 FT.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,967 hours in all; 135 in this make and model; 95 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 28 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,187 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 2, 1989; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,210 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: UT29 Tooele UT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 320° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 pm from SLC, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| 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.