Amateur-built HAWK accident near Howell, Utah, April 19, 1997
On April 19, 1997 at about 7:15 pm local time, a amateur-built HAWK, registered N627K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Howell, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the aircraft. Heavy rain and gusting winds were a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 19, 1997 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Howell, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built HAWK
- Registration
- N627K · no longer on the register · serial H-T-458-R
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft was found positioned in a near vertical nose-down attitude to the terrain at the base of a 40 foot high rock wall that paralleled the shoreline of the Great Salt Lake. A post-crash fire consumed the engine and cockpit. A deputy responding to the accident site shortly after the accident, reported that an isolated storm was rapidly moving through the area at the time of the accident. The deputy reported heavy rain and wind gusts from 25 to 40 knots.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 904 hours in all; 152 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 152 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 FC (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: OGD Ogden UT at 2:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 315° at 25 knots, gusting 40
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
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.