Cessna 172XP accident near Hurricane, Utah, March 13, 1990
On March 13, 1990 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172XP, registered N1530V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hurricane, Utah. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE ENGINE OIL LEAK INDUCED CONNECTING ROD FAILURE AND SUBSEQUENT TOTAL POWER LOSS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 13, 1990 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Hurricane, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172XP · all 172XPs on the register
- Registration
- N1530V · registry record · serial R1722200
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PRIVATE PILOT WAS REPOSITIONING THE AIRPLANE TO ITS NEW OWNERS. DURING CRUISE, HE NOTICED A LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE. 5 MINUTES LATER, THE ENGINE QUIT AND THE PILOT SELECTED A ROUGH FIELD AND MADE A FORCED LANDING. DURING LANDING ROLL, THE LEFT WING AND STABILIZER STRUCK A TREE. A POSTACCIDENT ENGINE TEARDOWN REVEALED AN OIL LEAK IN THE AREA OF THE OIL FILTER MOUNT AND THE ENGINE OIL LEVEL DEPLETED TO TWO QUARTS. THE NUMBER 5 AND 6 ROD BEARINGS SHOWED EVIDENCE OF LOSS OF LUBRICATION, OVERHEATING, AND ULTIMATE FAILURE. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE ADDED TWO QUARTS AT A PREVIOUS STOP, BUT THE INVESTIGATION WAS UNABLE TO VERIFY THE REPORTED ADDITION OF OIL.
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: 168 hours in all; 27 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 137 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,664 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 14, 1989; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GUC Gunnison CO at 6:00 pm
- Destination: VGT Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 99°F (37°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN90LA091.