Air Creation GTE accident near Springville, Utah, June 14, 2010
On June 14, 2010 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Air Creation GTE (weight-shift aircraft), registered N227EH, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Springville, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and his failure to maintain clearance from obstacles during takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 14, 2010 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Springville, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Air Creation GTE · all GTEs on the register
- Registration
- N227EH · registry record · serial GTE503601
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-certified pilot purchased the weight-shift category light sport airplane approximately 3 months prior to the accident and was departing on his first flight when the accident occurred. A family member reported that the pilot had flown non-motorized hang gliders 40 years prior to the accident, and he had not obtained instruction in the airplane prior to departing on the solo flight. Witnesses observed the airplane, which resembled a powered hang glider, accelerate and takeoff from an open school yard. Immediately after it got airborne, it impacted telephone and power lines that ran along a road at the end of the school yard. An amateur video recording of the accident flight depicted a red and white motorized hang glider accelerate across a schoolyard baseball field, get airborne and, 2 seconds later, impact residential telephone and power cables. The airplane rotated violently around the power lines and came to rest on the street below. The engine could be heard operating until the airplane’s collision with the power lines. The power lines are estimated to have been approximately 35 feet above the ground. While toxicology testing was consistent with relatively recent use of two separate narcotic painkillers and one prescription anti-anxiety medication, the toxicology findings were not consistent with impairment by any of the medications at the time of the accident.
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
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Training › Total instruct/training recvd › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Effect on equipment
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › (general) › Pilot
Pilot
- Flight time: 0 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 186 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 8, 2009; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 995 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Springville UT at 6:45 pm
- Destination: Springville UT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,700 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 6:48 pm from KPVU, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 WPR10LA292.