Cessna 150 - F accident near Santa Clara, Utah, May 7, 2014
On May 7, 2014 at about 2:55 pm local time, a 1966 Cessna 150 - F, registered N8236F, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Santa Clara, Utah. It was an instructional 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 flight instructor’s failure to arrest the airplane’s descent and maintain clearance from mountainous terrain while maneuvering at a low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 7, 2014 · about 2:55 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Clara, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 - F, built 1966 · all 150 - Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8236F · no longer on the register · serial 15064336
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness reported that he observed the airplane at an altitude of between 800 to 1,000 ft above ground level about 2 miles from his location. About the same time, he also heard the airplane's engine sputter, and he then observed the airplane in a vertical, nose-down attitude for 3 to 4 seconds before it went out of sight behind a hill. The wreckage was found about 2 hours later in remote mountainous, rocky terrain. An on-site examination of the airframe and engine revealed that the airplane impacted the terrain upright in a flat orientation on a 27-degree downslope. Based on observed impact signatures, the airplane's forward momentum was negligible just before it impacted terrain. All of the components necessary for flight were accounted for at the accident site. Additionally, examinations of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the witness's observations and the physical evidence observed at the accident site, it is likely that the airplane was in a steep descent at a low altitude and that the flight instructor failed to pull the airplane up and out of the nose-down attitude at a sufficient altitude to preclude impact with 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
- Abrupt maneuver during maneuvering defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Awareness of condition
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,766 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 77 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 9,657 as pilot in command; 3,350 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 9, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Dual student
- Flight time: 5 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,993 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 10, 2014; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,760 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 5,389 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SGU Saint George UT at 2:00 pm
- Destination: SGU Saint George UT
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.75 inHg
- Observation at 2:35 pm from SGU, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.
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.