Cirrus Design Corp. SR22 accident near Glen Canyon Nat, Utah, February 24, 2007
On February 24, 2007 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cirrus Design Corp. SR22, registered N224MT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Glen Canyon Nat, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's intentional flight over water at low altitude and his subsequent failure to maintain adequate clearance from the water. A contributing factor was the glassy surface condition of the lake.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 24, 2007 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Glen Canyon Nat, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus Design Corp. SR22
- Registration
- N224MT · registry record · serial 1334
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft collided with the surface of a lake while flying at low altitude over the water. The pilot said that he was flying over a lake at 50 feet above the water; and that there was a good ripple on the water to give him an altitude reference. He said that he maneuvered the airplane into another section of the lake and he noted that he was approximately 25 feet above the water. The pilot said "a few moments later, near the center of the bay, the water turned to glass smooth, and I must have lost depth perception because in a moment we were touching [the] water." The pilot said the airplane decelerated rapidly, and it did not nose over or sink immediately. The pilot and his two passengers exited the aircraft with no injuries, but spent over an hour swimming to shore in the 44-degree water. They were rescued the from the shore following morning.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,900 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 330 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550-N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U07 Glen Canyon Nat UT at 9:00 pm
- Destination: U77 Spanish Fork UT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from BCE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.