Cessna 180K accident near Hite, Utah, August 18, 1994
On August 18, 1994, a Cessna 180K, registered N2732K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hite, Utah (Hite airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
COMPENSATION FOR WIND CONDITIONS AND WEATHER EVALUATION WERE INADEQUATE. FACTORS TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: CROSSWIND AND GUSTS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 1994
- Place
- Hite, Utah · Hite · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180K · all 180Ks on the register
- Registration
- N2732K · registry record · serial 18053046
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT DURING THE TAKE OFF GROUND ROLL IN A CROSSWIND AND HIGH GUSTING WINDS, JUST AS THE TAIL WHEEL LIFTED OFF, A GUST OF WIND RAISED THE AIRPLANE WHICH DRIFTED OFF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN AND BEGAN TO BOUNCE THROUGH THE BRUSH. THE PILOT ABORTED THE TAKE OFF AND THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH AN EMBANKMENT BEFORE COMING TO A STOP.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,862 hours in all; 1,300 in this make and model; 175 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,700 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 28, 1994; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: CNY Moab UT
- Runway 9, 2,200 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 15 knots, gusting 40
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N2732K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.