Cessna 172M accident near Tooele, Utah, June 7, 1996
On June 7, 1996 at about 4:50 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N9594V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tooele, Utah (Bolinder-Tooele Valley airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the flight instructor (CFI) to ensure that adequate airspeed was maintained during initial climb after lift-off, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush. High density altitude was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 7, 1996 · about 4:50 pm local time
- Place
- Tooele, Utah · Bolinder-Tooele Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9594V · no longer on the register · serial 17264396
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that just after takeoff, the airspeed began decreasing, the stall warning horn sounded, and the airplane started sinking despite attempts at corrective action. The airplane impacted the ground beyond the departure end of the runway. Density altitude was 6,385 feet. A videotape, filmed by a rear-seat passenger, showed that the aircraft reached a pitch attitude of up to 24 degrees nose-high after takeoff. It also recorded a sound, resembling the stall warning horn, 42 seconds after start of takeoff roll (about 18 to 19 seconds after becoming airborne), and it recorded no significant change in engine noise pitch during the event. The airplane's electrical flap switch demonstrated improper mechanical operation 'due to normal wear' during postaccident functional testing. Investigation revealed that the pilot took off uphill to the south (average runway slope was 0.81 percent). The FAA's regional airport master record and the Utah state aeronautical chart wrongly indicated that the runway sloped uphill to the north, rather than to the south. The Airport/Facility Directory (A/FD) gave no runway slope data for the airport; the A/FD legend stated that the runway slope would be shown 'only when it is 0.3 percent or more.'
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 320 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 122 as pilot in command; 17 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 29, 1996
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Aviation INC.
The flight
- Departed from: TVY at 4:44 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 5,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 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.