Colonial C-1 accident near Halls Crossing, Utah, July 13, 1996
On July 13, 1996 at about 2:15 am local time, a Colonial C-1, registered N248B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Halls Crossing, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate preflight of the airplane, and subsequent fuel exhaustion due to an inadequate supply of fuel, which resulted in loss of engine power and an emergency landing. Uneven terrain in the emergency landing area was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 1996 · about 2:15 am local time
- Place
- Halls Crossing, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Colonial C-1 · all C-1s on the register
- Registration
- N248B · registry record · serial 8
- 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 about 1,000 feet above ground level and with the airport in sight, the engine suddenly quit. He was unable to restart the engine, and a forced landing was made in an open area. The airplane belly landed, bounced, and became airborne, then it rolled to the left and touched down again inverted. The pilot stated that after the accident, there was no smell of fuel or fuel spillage. He stated that 11 gallons of fuel had been added at the last refueling to bring the total fuel capacity to 22 gallons for this leg of the flight. There had been a conflicting indication of quantity between the fuel totalizer and the cockpit fuel gauge. The pilot stated that he felt that the totalizer was correct; however, there were indications that he did not verify this either visually or with a dip stick.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,523 hours in all; 430 in this make and model; 89 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 1,325 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,250 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 8, 1995; 135 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GUP Gallup NM
- Destination: U96 UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA96LA154.