Piper PA-34-200T accident near Alpine, Utah, April 27, 2002
On April 27, 2002 at about 4:55 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-200T, registered N132CP, was destroyed in an accident near Alpine, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with terrain and continued flight into known adverse weather conditions. Contributing factors were the fog and rain weather conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 27, 2002 · about 4:55 pm local time
- Place
- Alpine, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T · all PA-34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N132CP · registry record · serial 34-7970454
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While enroute, the instrument-rated pilot requested to air traffic control a GPS instrument approach to the intended destination airport; however, ATC denied the request due to traffic and the low cloud bases in the area. The pilot then requested an IFR clearance to an alternate airport. ATC cleared the pilot for an ILS approach to an alternate airport. The pilot then reported to air traffic control that when able, he would cancel the IFR clearance and proceed to the intended destination airport under VFR. Witnesses observed the airplane flying northbound towards the intended destination airport and operating "low, fast and it's landing gear was up." They observed the weather to be "very rainy, and foggy and the visibility was poor." The airplane continued to the north and disappeared instantly into the fog and clouds. The 3,864-hour pilot was found to be familiar with the route of flight having completed approximately 370 flights between the departure and destination airports. No distress calls were received from the pilot prior to the accident. The airplane impacted trees and the terrain at an elevation of approximately 5,675 feet msl. During examination of the wreckage, no aircraft or engine anomalies were noted that would have prevented normal operations.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,864 hours in all; 3,686 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 2, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,114 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 13, 2001; 36.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,570 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-EB (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: U96 Halls Crossing UT at 3:40 pm
- Destination: U42 Salt Lake City UT
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,400 ft; a few clouds at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.70 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from PVU, 16 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.
Other NTSB records under N132CP the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 FTW02FA130.