What happened
On April 25, 2012, a Cessna A185F, registration N243W, collided with terrain in the Dark Canyon Wilderness area near Blanding, Utah. The aircraft had departed from the Hidden Splendor backcountry airstrip at approximately 1450 for a sightseeing flight. The flight included the pilot, a flight instructor, and a passenger.
Earlier that day, the aircraft had completed several legs, landing at various airstrips including Rock Creek Ranch and Mexican Mountain Airstrip. Following a maintenance stop to replace a tire, the aircraft departed Hidden Splendor at approximately 1450.
At approximately 1528, personal locator data indicated the aircraft was 8 miles west of an airstrip on the southern rim of Dark Canyon. Ten minutes later, the aircraft's personal locator device began transmitting from a single location about 1.2 miles southeast of the airstrip. The aircraft struck the ground on a 20-degree sloping wash, resulting in a nose and left-wing-low impact. The wreckage was subsequently consumed by a post-impact fire.
The pilot sustained serious injuries and managed to extricate himself from the wreckage, but he later succumbed to his injuries. The flight instructor and the passenger were fatally injured upon impact.
The investigation
Investigators examined the engine and airframe at the scene and following recovery. The wreckage was located on the edge of a 3,400-foot-wide plateau at an elevation of 6,900 feet. The fuselage remained upright, but the fire destroyed much of the cabin and the right wing.
Examination of the propeller blades showed bending and curl damage, indicating that rotational energy was present at the time of impact. The aircraft was equipped with a Robertson STOL wing flap system. The investigation found that the aircraft's Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) likely activated during the crash but became separated from its antenna, preventing a satellite alert from being received by search and rescue agencies.
While the flight instructor's personal locator device transmitted position data, it did not include altitude information, and the pilot's device was not configured to send automatic updates. The flight instructor's device was also ejected from the wreckage during the accident, making it inaccessible to the pilot.