Cirrus Design CORP SR22 accident near Ogden, Utah, July 15, 2017
On July 15, 2017 at about 1:48 am local time, a 2007 Cirrus Design CORP SR22, registered N754AP, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Ogden, Utah (Ogden-Hinckley airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the No. 4 cylinder exhaust valve head, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to oil starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 15, 2017 · about 1:48 am local time
- Place
- Ogden, Utah · Ogden-Hinckley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cirrus Design CORP SR22 NO SERIES, built 2007
- Registration
- N754AP · registry record · serial 2871
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, the personal cross-country flight was uneventful until he was established on the final approach about 7 miles from the destination airport. At that point, he heard a bang, felt a shudder from the engine, and noticed the airplane’s oil pressure decreasing. Shortly thereafter, the oil pressure indicated zero and the engine shut down. Unable to maintain altitude and too low to deploy the airplane’s parachute, the pilot decided to land on a nearby open field. During the landing sequence, the airplane’s left wing struck two wood posts, incurring substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airplane’s engine revealed that the No. 4 cylinder exhaust valve head was separated from the valve stem, which destroyed the No. 4 piston causing oil to dump through the No. 4 cylinder’s exhaust valve area. The resulting oil starvation led to catastrophic engine failure. The reason for the failure of the No. 4 cylinder exhaust valve head could not be determined.
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
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during approach (VFR pattern final)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Failure
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Oil › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,395 hours in all; 1,395 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,302 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 22, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,480.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 28, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-550-N (piston); 1,480 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VGT Las Vegas NV at 11:45 pm
- Destination: OGD Ogden UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 03, 8,103 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 27 knots, gusting 33
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from OGD, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
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 WPR17LA157.