Aircraft Mfg & Development CO CH 2000 accident near Nephi, Utah, August 30, 2012
On August 30, 2012 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Aircraft Mfg & Development CO CH 2000, registered N651AM, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern downwind) near Nephi, Utah (Nephi Municipal Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inability to maintain airplane control due to an encounter with a microburst/downdraft that exceeded the climb performance capabilities of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 2012 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Nephi, Utah · Nephi Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aircraft Mfg & Development CO CH 2000 · all CH 2000s on the register
- Registration
- N651AM · registry record · serial 20-1021
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses observed the airplane operating in the airport traffic pattern. As the airplane turned from a crosswind to a downwind leg, witnesses estimated that the airplane was about 150 feet above ground level at a slow speed when it suddenly pitched downward and descended into the ground. Witnesses further stated that at the time of the accident, thunderstorms with strong wind, heavy rain, and lightning were arriving in the area. A regional radar mosaic for about the time of the accident depicted several scattered weather echoes with one defined cell of moderate-to-strong intensity just over the accident site. Archived lightning data for the time revealed seven in-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning flashes within a 50-mile radius of the accident site; however, no cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were detected within 15 miles. The detection of lightning confirmed the presence of a cumulonimbus cloud in the area. Wreckage and impact signatures were consistent with a right-wing-low and nose-low impact. Postaccident examination of the airframe, flight control system, and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the witness observations and recorded weather data, it is likely that, as a result of the approaching thunderstorm, the airplane encountered a microburst or downdraft that exceeded the airplane's climb performance and resulted in a loss of airplane control.
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
- Windshear or thunderstorm during approach (VFR pattern downwind)
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR pattern downwind) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR pattern downwind)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › Climb capability › Capability exceeded
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Convective weather › Thunderstorm › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Microburst › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 94 hours in all
- Last flight review: February 19, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 950 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 244 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 17, 2012; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,692 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVU Provo UT at 9:00 pm
- Destination: PVU Provo UT
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 9:59 pm from PVU, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
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 WPR12FA378.