Two Fatally Injured When Cessna 172 Impacted Terrain

The NTSB has released a preliminary report in an accident which occurred near Littlefield, AZ that fatally injured two brothers, ages 19 and 16. The Cessna 172 the two were aboard impacted steep terrain in a canyon on the flight from Beaver, UT to Mesquite, NV.

According to the report, on July 20, 2014, about 1830 mountain standard time, the Cessna 172K Airplane, N84754, was destroyed by a collision with terrain and a postcrash fire, about 4 miles northeast of Littlefield, AZ. The airplane was owned by D & G Aircraft Leasing LLC, Bountiful, Utah, and operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal cross-country flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the pilot and sole passenger received fatal injuries. The airplane departed Beaver Municipal Airport (U52), Beaver, Utah, about 1715, bound for Mesquite Airport (67L), Mesquite, Nevada, about 140 miles to the southwest.

The accident site was on a steep northwest facing canyon wall, in the Virgin River gorge. The gorge was cut by the Virgin River, and was the path followed by U. S. Interstate Highway 15 between St. George, Utah, Littlefield, AZ, and the airplane's destination of Mesquite to the southwest. The airplane impacted a canyon wall, about 100 feet above the Highway. Traveling southwest through the gorge along Highway 15 toward Mesquite, the steep-walled canyon turned left and then to the right, just prior to exiting the gorge onto an open high desert plain, east of Littlefield.

The closest official weather reporting station to the accident site was at St. George Airport, about 20 miles east of the accident site. Observations taken between 1800 and 1900 showed that the temperature was in excess of 100 degrees F, and the winds were from 220 degrees true at 16 to 19 knots, with gusts to 23 knots.

A motorist traveling southwest bound on Highway 15 reported that the airplane passed low overhead in the canyon, traveling in the same direction as the motorist. The airplane made a left turn following the highway, and suddenly rolled inverted and impacted the canyon wall. The motorist said the conditions in the canyon were very windy.

On July 21, the accident airplane was examined at the accident site by the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) accompanied by an FAA Air Safety Inspector. All of the major airframe components and flight controls were present at the site. The wreckage was re-examined at the site on July 22, and removed to a storage facility for further examination at a later time.

The accident airplane was not utilizing any air traffic control services, and no pre-accident mechanical anomalies were reported to family members who were monitoring the flight, and spoke with the pilot prior to the airplane departing Beaver Municipal Airport.

(Image from file. Not accident airplane)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov