Amateur-built THORP T18CWS accident near Grantsville, Utah, February 28, 1996
On February 28, 1996, a amateur-built THORP T18CWS, registered N24WN, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grantsville, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a powerline. A transmission wire and an oil pressure reading of zero were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 28, 1996
- Place
- Grantsville, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built THORP T18CWS THORP T18C
- Registration
- N24WN · no longer on the register · serial 1424
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while flying at 600 feet above ground level, he noticed that there was no oil pressure indication. He attempted a precautionary landing to a paved road, but had to initiate a go-around because of a truck on the road. During the go-around, the airplane collided with a power line that was approximately 100 feet AGL. The airplane was unable to maintain flight and subsequently collided with the terrain.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,930 hours in all; 429 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 1,706 as pilot in command; 224 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 429 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 12, 1995; 131 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ENV Wendover UT
- Destination: U42 Salt Lake City UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N24WN 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.