Piper PA-32R-300 accident near Grantsville, Utah, December 19, 1994
On December 19, 1994, a Piper PA-32R-300, registered N175MC, was destroyed in an accident near Grantsville, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE VFR PILOT'S ATTEMPT TO CONTINUE THE FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE/CLEARANCE WITH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 19, 1994
- Place
- Grantsville, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-300 · all PA-32R-300s on the register
- Registration
- N175MC · registry record · serial 32R-7780241
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PRIVATE PILOT RECEIVED A WEATHER BRIEFING FOR A VFR FLIGHT OVER 5 HOURS BEFORE HE ACTUALLY DEPARTED. HE AND HIS THREE PASSENGERS DEPARTED AT NIGHT IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AND IN VFR CONDITIONS WITH THE INTENTION OF FLYING TO AN AIRPORT LOCATED 90 MILES AWAY FOR DINNER. THE PILOT RECEIVED ATC RADAR ADVISORIES AND REPORTED THAT THE CEILINGS WERE GETTING LOWER ALONG HIS ROUTE OF FLIGHT. HE WAS ADVISED BY ATC THAT AREAS OF LEVEL ONE AND TWO PRECIPITATION EXISTED IN FRONT OF HIM. THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED TO DESCEND AFTER ATC SERVICES WERE TERMINATED. RADAR DATA FOR THE AIRPLANE WAS LOST SHORTLY THEREAFTER. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED A MOUNTAIN RIDGE ABOUT 6,200 FEET MSL AND WAS DESTROYED. THE RIDGE IS LOCATED ALONG A DIRECT LINE FROM THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT TO THE DESTINATION AIRPORT. NO DISTRESS CALLS WERE RECORDED FROM THE PILOT, AND NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT MECHANICAL DEFICIENCIES WERE FOUND. LOCALIZED ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, INCLUDING LOW CEILINGS AND SNOW, WERE REPORTED MOVING WEST TO EAST AS THE AIRPLANE FLEW EAST TO WEST.
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: 311 hours in all; 216 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 234 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,938 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 24, 1994; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLC Salt Lake City UT
- Destination: ENV Wendover UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 020° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 0.9 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:20 am from SLC, 43 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.
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.