Cessna 172 accident near West Jordan, Utah, September 3, 1998
On September 3, 1998 at about 2:30 am local time, a Cessna 172, registered N8232B, was destroyed in an accident near West Jordan, Utah (Salt Lake City Muni 2 airport). 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
The pilot's failure to maintain proper airport traffic pattern altitude. Factors were night lighting conditions and the unseen static line.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 1998 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- West Jordan, Utah · Salt Lake City Muni 2 · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N8232B · registry record · serial 36032
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness riding on his dirt motorcycle parallel to the powerlines saw two bright flashes and heard a loud bang from behind. The airplane crashed 50 to 75 feet in front of him. Other witnesses reported observing a flash, hearing a loud noise, and observing the airplane descending vertically towards the ground. The airplane had struck the top static line on a transmission tower, severing the right wing and empennage. The transmission tower is about 100 feet agl. Airport traffic pattern altitude is 800 feet agl. The accident occurred in visual meteorological conditions, during the hours of darkness, about 2 miles west of the airport. The transmission lines run parallel to the runway.
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: 336 hours in all; 330 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 303 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,720 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 15, 1997; 264 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U42 West Jordan UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,860 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 am from U42
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.