Stinson 108-2 accident near Fruit Heights, Utah, January 16, 1993
On January 16, 1993 at about 6:29 pm local time, a Stinson 108-2, registered N8004K, was destroyed in an accident near Fruit Heights, Utah. It was a personal 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
VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC CONDITIONS WAS ATTEMPTED BY THE PILOT. FACTORS INCLUDE RAIN, SNOW, AND FOG.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 16, 1993 · about 6:29 pm local time
- Place
- Fruit Heights, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Stinson 108-2 · all 108-2s on the register
- Registration
- N8004K · registry record · serial 108-3004
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT DEPARTED AND HEADED NORTH TOWARD OGDEN, UTAH IN DETERIORATING METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. HE LATER REQUESTED VECTORS INTO SALT LAKE CITY AIRPORT, THEN OGDEN, BEFORE DECLARING THAT HE WAS IN IMC CONDITIONS AND REQUESTING A HEADING AWAY FROM THE MOUNTAINS. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED A STEEP MOUNTAINOUS SLOPE WHILE MANEUVERING. LOCAL WEATHER REPORTS OBSERVED RAIN, SNOW, AND FOG, AS WELL AS REDUCED VISIBILITY IN THE AREA.
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: 855 hours in all; 219 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 804 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,977 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 11, 1992; 79 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6A4-150-B3 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BTF Bountiful UT at 6:00 pm
- Destination: OGD Ogden UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:43 pm from SLC, 15 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.