Storch Aviation Australia PTY SS-MK4 accident near Boulder, Utah, May 29, 2009
On May 29, 2009 at about 2:55 pm local time, a Storch Aviation Australia PTY SS-MK4, registered N2898J, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Boulder, Utah (Boulder Creek Canyon Ranch airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from power lines during low altitude maneuvering.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 2009 · about 2:55 pm local time
- Place
- Boulder, Utah · Boulder Creek Canyon Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Storch Aviation Australia PTY SS-MK4
- Registration
- N2898J · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On the morning of the accident flight, the pilot flew with a passenger in the airplane on a sightseeing trip. The flight included low altitude maneuvers, to include low altitude flights into canyons. Photographs provided by the passenger revealed that the airplane was flown at low altitude through the canyons, and very close to the canyon walls. The pilot then landed and disembarked the passenger. Shortly thereafter, the pilot departed with another passenger onboard in the direction of the accident site. Witnesses observed the airplane flying low within a canyon shortly before a power failure occurred in the local town. Damage to the airplane revealed that the left wing struck the power transmission lines. The witness statements, damage sustained by the wing, and the position of the airplane after the accident, indicated that the pilot most likely turned left into an adjacent canyon from the one he was in and immediately into the path of the power lines.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Contributed to outcome
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 323 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 27, 2008; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Aero Sport Power IO-360-B2E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Boulder UT at 2:40 pm
- Destination: PVT Boulder UT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,500 ft; clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.36 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from BCE, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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.