Cessna 182P accident near Heber City, Utah, October 3, 1993
On October 3, 1993 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N50TH, was destroyed in an accident near Heber City, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 3 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER INFLIGHT DECISIONS AND FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE. FACTORS INCLUDE THE BOX CANYON.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 3, 1993 · about 6:30 pm local time · cases in 1993
- Place
- Heber City, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N50TH · registry record · serial 18264921
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT ENTERED A BOX CANYON WHILE GIVING A SCENIC RIDE TO RELATIVES. THE AIRCRAFT HAD INSUFFICIENT PERFORMANCE TO OUTCLIMB THE CANYON GRADIENT. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO ADJUST THE POWER, AND THEN ADVISED HIS PASSENGERS THAT THEY WERE GOING DOWN. THE AIRCRAFT BURNED AFTER CRASHING ON A STEEP SLOPE, AND STARTED A FOREST FIRE. THE PASSENGERS SUSTAINED SERIOUS BURNS WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ESCAPE. ONE PASSENGER WAS TRAPPED IN THE FIRE UNTIL HIS SEAT BELT BURNED THROUGH. NO EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS WAS FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION. THE AIRCRAFT WAS AT OR NEAR GROSS WEIGHT AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,287 hours in all; 88 in the last 90 days; 5,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,867 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 18, 1993; 99 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-S (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Dakota Ridge Aviation, INC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:15 pm from PVU, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N50TH on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 182 Skylane 11,834 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-470-S 22 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Utah 1,440 since 1982 · 263 in the last ten years
- Utah 8,356 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA94FA004.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.