Piper PA28-181 accident near Tooele, Utah, October 29, 1998
On October 29, 1998 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Piper PA28-181, registered N3034B, was destroyed in an accident near Tooele, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's VFR flight into IMC and his failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance. Contributng factors were fog, low ceilings, high terrain, the pilot's lack of familiarity with the geographic environment and his misinterpretation of terrain features on the aeronautical chart.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 29, 1998 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Tooele, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28-181 · all PA28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N3034B · no longer on the register · serial 28-7990136
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on a cross-country VFR flight, the pilot encountered instrument meteorological conditions while he was attempting to stay below the clouds, approximately 10 miles short of his destination. He said he misjudged the rapidly forming fog conditions, misread his map regarding terrain elevation, and did not think the terrain elevation was as high as it was in the area where the accident occurred. He then inadvertently flew into the ground in cruise flight at an elevation of 6,200 feet above mean sea level. The pilot also stated that this was his first experience in the mountains and that he should have turned back when the weather conditions began to deteriorate. .
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: 560 hours in all; 555 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 123 in the last 30 days; 505 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,450 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 24, 1998; 105 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PVU Provo UT at 8:30 pm
- Destination: TVY UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from T62, 50 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.