This space for binding

Printed on : 6/10/2012 2:01:20 PM

National Transportation Safety Board
NTSB ID: WPR12FA230 Occurrence Date: 05/26/2012 Occurrence Type: Accident Most Critical Injury: Fatal Investigated By: NTSB

PRELIMINARY REPORT AVIATION

Location/Time
Nearest City/Place State

Zip Code

Local Time

Time Zone

St. George

UT

84790

0120

MDT

Aircraft Information
Registration Number Aircraft Manufacturer Model/Series Number

N953SP
Type of Aircraft: Airplane Injury Summary:

CESSNA
Amateur Built Aircraft? No
Fatal

172S

Serious

Minor

None

Revenue Sightseeing Flight: No Narrative

Air Medical Transport Flight: No

Brief narrative statement of facts, conditions and circumstances pertinent to the accident/incident:

On May 26, 2012, about 0120 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172S, N953SP, collided with terrain shortly after departing from St. George Municipal Airport, St. George, Utah. Diamond Flying LLC was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The commercial pilot and three passenger sustained fatal injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The local personal flight was departing from St. George with a planned destination of Mesquite, Nevada. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. A review of the recorded security camera footage at the airport revealed that the airplane could be seen in the nighttime conditions by the blinking left-wing strobe light and the navigation light mounted on the tail. The airplane appeared to depart from runway 19 and maneuver at a low altitude for the length of the runway while increasing its airspeed. Near the end of the runway, the airplane began a rapid ascent and continued out of the view of the camera. After about 7 seconds, the airplane reappears further down the frame in a rapid descent. The accident site was located in the hard dirt area (the southerly primary surface) adjacent to the departure end of runway 19. Situated on the level terrain, the airplane came to rest in an inverted attitude and was oriented on a 315-degree magnetic bearing. The main wreckage, which consisted of a majority of the airframe and engine, was located about 525 feet from the edge of the runway's center point. The first identified point of impact was a ground scar impression about 40 feet from the main wreckage that dimensionally and geometrically resembled the wings with a crater-like impression in between. The span of the ground disturbance was about 36.5 feet, with red lens fragments located near the east side and green fragments on the westerly side; the airplane's wingspan was 36.1 feet. Imbedded in the center crater was a portion of a propeller blade and the nose wheel. In the debris field from the ground scar to the main wreckage was the oil sump, the propeller, and engine accessories. A routine aviation weather report (METAR) generated by an Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS) at the airport, indicated that about 5 minutes prior to the accident the conditions were as follows: wind was from 260 degrees at 9 knots; temperature 66 degrees Fahrenheit; dew point 28 degrees Fahrenheit; and altimeter 29.60 inHg. Updated on Jun 7 2012 2:44PM

PRELIMINARY INFORMATION - SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Page 1

This space for binding

National Transportation Safety Board

NTSB ID: WPR12FA230 Occurrence Date: 05/26/2012 Occurrence Type: Accident

PRELIMINARY REPORT AVIATION

Other Aircraft Involved
Registration Number Aircraft Manufacturer

Model/Series Number

Accident Information
Aircraft Damage:

Substantial

Accident Occurred During:

Crew
Pilot 2 3 4 5 6

Name

Certificate No.

Injury

On File

On File

Fatal

Operator Information
Name Operator Designator Code Doing Business As

DIAMOND FLYING LLC

Street Address City State Zip Code

156 W 500 S
-Type of Certificate(s) Held: None
Air Carrier Operating Certificate(s):

ST GEORGE

UT

84770-3573

Operating Certificate: Regulation Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation Type of Flight Operations Conducted: Personal

Operator Certificate:

Flight Plan/Itinerary
Type of Flight Plan Filed: Unknown

Last Departure Point

State

Airport Identifier

Same as Accident/Incident Location

Destination
State

SGU
Airport Identifier

Same as Accident/Incident Location

SGU

Weather Information
Investigator's Source: Unknown Sky/Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear Lowest Ceiling: Broken Ft. AGL Visibility: Facility ID: SGU Ft. AGL Observation Time (Local): 0115

10

SM

Altimeter:

29.60

"Hg
Page 2

PRELIMINARY INFORMATION - SUBJECT TO CHANGE

This space for binding

National Transportation Safety Board

NTSB ID: WPR12FA230 Occurrence Date: 05/26/2012 Occurrence Type: Accident

PRELIMINARY REPORT AVIATION

Weather Information
Temperature: Wind Speed: 9
(Continued from page 2)

19 C
Kts.

Dew Point: Gusts:

-2 C
Kts.

Wind Direction: 260 Weather Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions

Administration Data
Notification From Date

FAA Comm Center

FAA District Office/Coordinator Investigator-In-Charge (IIC)

Federal Aviation Administration Lewis C. Olson

Zoe Keliher

PRELIMINARY INFORMATION - SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Page 3