Hidden Splendor Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Blanding, Utah 84511
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 15:40 MDT

NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident

The pilot departed in the airplane with his father and a flight instructor who had extensive experience flying in the local canyon areas. The intention was to perform a sightseeing flight, with multiple stops at backcountry airstrips. The flight instructor was carrying a personal locator device, which transmitted position data at 10-minute-intervals but no altitude information. This data revealed that the airplane landed at three airstrips. Shortly after the airplane departed the third airstrip about midafternoon, the instructor’s personal locator began a series of transmissions all from the same location, about 1.2 miles from an unused airstrip. These transmissions continued from that location for about the next 12 hours; however, no emergency or alert notifications were received from the personal locator or the airplane’s emergency locator transmitter (ELT) during that period. When the airplane had not returned to the original departure airport by nighttime, search and rescue efforts were initiated. The wreckage was located in the early morning hours the next day on the edge of a plateau in remote wilderness, at an elevation of 6,900 feet mean sea level. The airplane wreckage came to rest on an uphill slope and was mostly consumed by postimpact fire. The terrain north and east of the accident site fell away to steep canyon walls, which descended to a confluence of rivers 1,500 feet below. Area weather conditions included low-level thermal activity, wind gusts, and light turbulence, which would have been further exasperated at the accident site due to the surrounding terrain. The flight instructor and the aft seat passenger were fatally injured on impact; however, the pilot sustained serious injuries and was able to extricate himself from the airplane. However, he eventually succumbed to his injuries before the airplane was discovered. Although the airplane was equipped with a 406-MHz ELT and evidence suggests that it activated during the accident, it had become separated from the airplane’s structure (and thus its antenna) during the impact sequence, which limited its transmission range. As a result, no ELT transmissions were received by search and rescue (SAR) satellites. Had the ELT remained connected to its antenna, it would have effectively transmitted an alert signal, thereby providing SAR personnel with a rapid indication that an accident had occurred. Under such circumstances, the airplane would most likely have been discovered earlier, possibly during daylight hours. The pilot's injuries fell within the "severely" injured category, and analysis of emergency evacuation and trauma treatment resources revealed that with prompt ELT notification, medical response would have been greatly augmented, and he may have survived the accident. Furthermore, although a personal locator device survived the accident intact, it was ejected from the airplane during the accident sequence and was not within easy reach of the pilot.

NTSB Probable Cause Narrative

The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during low-level maneuvering flight. Contributing to the pilot’s death was the lack of a timely emergency rescue response due to the lack of effective emergency signal transmissions from both the airplane’s emergency locator transmitter and the personal locator device, which were both ejected from the wreckage.

Event Information

Type of Event Accident
Event Date 4/25/2012
Event Day of the Week Wednesday
Time of Event 1540
Event Time Zone Mountain Daylight Time
Event City Blanding
Event State UTAH
Event Country --
Zipcode of the event site 84511
Event Date Year 2012
Event Date Month 4
MidAir Collision Indicator No
On Ground Collision occurred ? No
Event Location Latitude 374843n
Event Location Longitude 1100359w
Event Location Airport Hidden Splendor
Event Location Nearest Airport ID N/A
Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport Off Airport/Airstrip
Distance from airport in statute miles 70
Degrees magnetic from airport --
Airport Elevation 4819
Weather Briefing Completeness --
Investigator's weather source Weather Observation Facility
Time of the weather observation 1555 Mountain Daylight Time
Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) 115
Weather Observation Facility ID K4BL
Elevation of weather observation facility 5868
Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) 30
Time Zone of the weather observation MDT
Lighting Conditions Day
Lowest Ceiling Height 14000
Lowest Non-Ceiling Height 9000
Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions Scattered
Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling Broken
Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) --
Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) --
Visibility (Statute Miles) 50
Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) 22
Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) 4
Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) 250
Variable Wind Indicator Wind direction could be determined
Wind Speed (knots) 15
Wind Velocity Indicator --
Wind Gust Indicator Gusting
Wind Gust (knots) 25
Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) --
Density Altitude (feet) --
Intensity of Precipitation --
METAR weather report METAR K4BL 252055Z 25015G25KT 50SM SCT090CB BKN140
Event Highest Injury Fatal
On Ground, Fatal Injuries --
On Ground, Minor Injuries --
On Ground, Serious Injuries --
Injury Total Fatal 3
Injury Total Minor --
Injury Total None --
Injury Total Serious --
Injury Total All 3
Investigating Agency NTSB
NTSB Docket Number (internal use) 31958
NTSB Notification Source FAA ROC
NTSB Notification Date --
NTSB Notification Time --
Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information --
Date of most recent change to record Aug 29 2013 7:08PM
User who most recently changed record sime1
Basic weather conditions Visual Meteorological Cond
FAA District Office --

Aircraft Involved

Aircraft #1

Aircraft Registration Number N243W
NTSB Number WPR12FA184
Missing Aircraft Indicator --
Federal Aviation Reg. Part Part 91: General Aviation
Type of Flight Plan filed None
Flight plan Was Activated? No
Damage Substantial
Aircraft Fire Ground
Aircraft Explosion None
Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name CESSNA
Aircraft Model A185F
Aircraft Series Identifier --
Aircraft Serial Number 18503820
Certified Max Gross Weight 3350
Aircraft Category Airplane
Aircraft Registration Class --
Aircraft is a homebuilt? No
Flight Crew Seats --
Cabin Crew Seats --
Passenger Seats --
Total number of seats on the aircraft 6
Number of Engines 1
Fixed gear or retractable gear Fixed
Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection Annual
Date of Last Inspection May 31 2011 12:00AM
Airframe hours since last inspection 100
Airframe Hours 1364
ELT Installed Yes
ELT Activated Yes
ELT Aided Location of Event Site No
ELT Type C126
Aircraft Owner Name KYLE RICHARDSON
Aircraft Owner Street Address --
Aircraft Owner City MIDLAND
Aircraft Owner State TX
Aircraft Owner Country USA
Aircraft Owner Zipcode 79705-8667
Operator is an individual? Yes
Operator Name KYLE RICHARDSON
Operator Same as Owner? No
Operator Is Doing Business As --
Operator Address Same as Owner? No
Operator Street Address --
Operator City MIDLAND
Operator State TX
Operator Country USA
Operator Zip code 79705-8667
Operator Code --
Owner has at least one certificate None
Other Operator of large aircraft? No
Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation --
Operator Certificate Number --
Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not --
Indicates Domestic or International Flight --
Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail --
Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) Personal
Second Pilot on Board Yes
Departure Point Same as Event No
Departure Airport Code N/A
Departure City Hidden Splendor
Departure State UT
Departure Country USA
Departure Time 1450
Departure Time Zone MDT
Destination Same as Local Flt --
Destination Airport Code PUC
Destination City Price
Destination State UT
Destination Country USA
Specific Phase of Flight --
Report sent to ICAO? --
Evacuation occurred --
Date of most recent change to record Jul 24 2013 7:10PM
User who most recently changed record sime1
Since inspection or accident Last Inspection
Event Location Runway Number and Location 34
Runway Length 1900
Runway Width 20
Sight Seeing flight No
Air Medical Flight No
Medical Flight --