Amateur-built ASC SPIRIT accident near Lehi, Utah, June 22, 2014
On June 22, 2014 at about 8:30 pm local time, a 2007 amateur-built ASC SPIRIT (glider), registered N127JK, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Lehi, Utah (Cedar Valley 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 exceedance of the glider’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering in a steep turn at low altitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 2014 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lehi, Utah · Cedar Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ASC SPIRIT NO SERIES, built 2007
- Registration
- N127JK · no longer on the register · serial 0004
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot of the experimental, amateur-built glider was conducting a local flight. The tow plane pilot reported that, as the glider pilot approached the privately owned airport, he announced over the radio his intent to land. He and one witness in the area reported seeing the glider circling to land and making several steep turns during the descent. When the glider was about 30 to 40 ft above ground level, the nose suddenly dropped, and the glider then descended straight down into the ground short of the runway. Another witness reported that it looked like the glider had stalled. Wreckage documentation indicated that the glider impacted terrain in a steep, nose-down, left-wing-low attitude with little forward motion, which is consistent with a stall. Postaccident examination of the airframe revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot exceeded the glider's critical angle of attack while maneuvering to land, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
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
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR pattern final)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 350 hours in all; 285 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 285 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 18, 2013
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: UT10 Lehi UT at 7:50 pm
- Destination: UT10 Lehi UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 5,100 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 95°F (35°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
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.