Cessna 172M accident near Escalante, Utah, October 25, 2006
On October 25, 2006 at about 1:58 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N9179D, was destroyed in an accident near Escalante, Utah. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. Contributing factors were the pilot's lack of experience of flying on instruments on a dark night and in rainy weather.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 25, 2006 · about 1:58 am local time
- Place
- Escalante, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9179D · no longer on the register · serial 17266140
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed for a night positioning cross-country flight over very sparsely populated country. The flight progressed into a weather frontal system with light to heavy rain. Radar data and an onboard handheld GPS receiver show the aircraft spiraling to the left and accelerating to a high rate of speed until impact. The following morning, a helicopter was sent to the last radar return, and found the downed aircraft. It was fragmented, and the engine was found 1,200 feet from its initial impact point. The pilot had approximately 480 hours of flight experience, with no actual instrument-meteorological-condition (IMC) flying experience. He had approximately 15 hours of night flying, most of which was flown between 22 to 24 months before the accident flight. The postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preimpact anomalies which might have affected the airplane's flight performance.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 408 hours in all; 11 in the last 30 days; 280 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,683 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FFZ Mesa AZ
- Destination: PVU Provo UT
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,600 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from BCE, 36 miles away
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.
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.