American AA-1 accident near Morgan, Utah, November 15, 2012
On November 15, 2012 at about 2:00 pm local time, a American AA-1, registered N5642L, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Morgan, Utah (Morgan County airport). 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 inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in frost remaining on the airplane's surfaces and led to its inability to produce enough lift to clear rising terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 15, 2012 · about 2:00 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Morgan, Utah · Morgan County · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American AA-1 · all AA-1s on the register
- Registration
- N5642L · no longer on the register · serial AA1-0042
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness reported that the airplane took off just before sunrise and that the engine sounded normal. During climbout, the airplane impacted rising terrain about 3 miles from the airport and about 776 feet above field elevation. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A review of the recorded meteorological data showed that the weather conditions were conducive to frost formation. Further, a witness at the airport reported observing frost on the surfaces of parked airplanes on the day of the accident. Therefore, it is likely that the airplane had frost on its surfaces before takeoff and that the pilot failed to adequately clear the frost off the airplane during the preflight inspection, which increased drag and reduced the production of lift; therefore, the airplane was unable to gain sufficient altitude to clear the rising terrain.
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 initial climb
- Structural icing during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to structural icing › Effect on equipment
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 21,271 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 3, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,098 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 18, 2012
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 42U Morgan UT at 2:00 pm
- Destination: LGU Logan UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 03, 3,904 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 120° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from HIF, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
12 documents, released by the NTSB on September 27, 2013. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Record of Conversation and Record of Email | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Statement of Airport Manager | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Airport Master Record | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Runway Information | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Terrain Map | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Sunrise Data | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Wreckage Exam Summary | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 8 | FAA Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Wreckage Release | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 11 | Photo 1: Takeoff View from Runway 03 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 12 | Photo 2: Accident Site Wreckage | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5642L: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- American AA-1 179 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- American 307 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES 27,303 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Morgan County · nearest airport
- Logan-Cache Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Utah 1,440 since 1982 · 264 in the last ten years
- Utah 8,350 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR13FA041.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.