Cessna M337B accident near Spanish Fork, Utah, September 12, 2013
On September 12, 2013 at about 8:30 pm local time, a 1968 Cessna M337B, registered N87653, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Spanish Fork, Utah (Spanish Fork Airport). It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to properly manage fuel which resulted in fuel exhaustion and subsequent loss of power to the forward engine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 2013 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Spanish Fork, Utah · Spanish Fork Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna M337B, built 1968 · all M337Bs on the register
- Registration
- N87653 · no longer on the register · serial 337M0222
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that on the day of the accident, he elected to fly with a light, and slightly uneven, load of fuel to accommodate for the extra equipment and people onboard. During the low altitude flight, the pilot was not transferring fuel from the right wing fuel tanks to the left wing fuel tanks. Subsequently, the left wing fuel tanks ran empty and the forward engine lost power. The pilot elected to land in a nearby corn field. During the landing, the airplane's forward engine firewall sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engines that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Fuel exhaustion during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring equip/instruments › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all; 560 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 7,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 5, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,514 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 6, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 4,300 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Artemis INC
The flight
- Departed from: U77 Spanish Fork UT at 7:45 pm
- Destination: U77 Spanish Fork UT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from PVU, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 WPR13CA425.