History of Flight
On February 22, 2018, about 1056 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-32R-300 airplane, Canadian registry C-GYGY, was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Monticello, Utah. The private pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was privately owned and operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Undetermined meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan was filed. The airplane departed Grand Junction Airport (GJT), Grand Junction, Colorado, about 0937 for an undetermined destination.
The pilot and passengers were Canadian citizens from Alberta. According to the pilot's daughter, the airplane had been left at Cut Bank International Airport (CTB), Montana, in early February due to adverse weather. On February 21, the pilot and passengers drove to CTB to begin the journey that included the accident leg. The flight from CTB to Albuquerque, New Mexico, was planned to allow the pilot to examine an airplane for purchase. The airplane departed CTB about 1000, but due to weather, it landed at GJT about 1605 on February 21. The group overnighted there.
On February 22, the airplane departed GJT to the northeast. No further communications with air traffic control or ground facilities were located. FAA radar data showed a track from an unidentified aircraft broadcasting code 1200, believed to be the accident airplane. The first radar return at 1004:04 was about 16 nm west-northwest of GJT at 7,900 ft. The airplane climbed to 10,200 ft, then turned south. The final radar return at 1033:34 was about 35 nm north-northwest of the accident site at 9,200 ft. Radar coverage floor in the area was about 9,500 ft. Calculations indicated the airplane would have traveled about 53 nm after the final radar return, about 22 nm more than the straight-line distance to the accident site.
At about 2200 on February 22, the FAA issued an Alert Notice for an overdue airplane. On February 23, a 121.5 MHz ELT signal was detected near La Sal Junction, Utah. The wreckage was located at 1649 by a Civil Air Patrol aircraft. Law enforcement confirmed it was the missing airplane. The wreckage was examined on scene by FAA, Piper, and NTSB personnel on February 26 and recovered for detailed examination.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a Transport Canada (TC) private pilot license with a blanket type rating for all single pilot non-high-performance single engine land airplanes. He did not hold an instrument rating, and his license bore the restriction "Valid Daylight Only," which applied in both Canada and the US. The accident airplane was not considered high-performance, so that rating did not apply, but the daylight restriction did. Flight time records as of February 9, 2018, showed about 597 total hours. His most recent TC Category 3 medical certificate was issued in February 2018. A journey log recovered from the wreckage, though damaged, indicated about 346 hours in the accident airplane.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was manufactured in 1976 with a Lycoming IO-540 series engine. The most recent annual or 100-hour inspection was completed in September 2017. At that time, total time since new was 2,743.5 hours, propeller time 32.2 hours, and engine time since overhaul 762.8 hours. The airplane had four fuel tanks with total capacity of 98 gallons (94 usable). Performance data from the Pilot's Operating Handbook indicated fuel consumption rates of 12 to 18 gallons per hour and true airspeed of 140 to 150 knots.
After landing at GJT on February 21, the pilot requested a fuel top-off, and 17.6 gallons were added. No evidence of interim stops or fuel purchases between CTB and GJT was found.
Meteorological Information
The pilot did not contact Leidos Flight Service or DUATS on the accident day. No weather briefings were requested via ForeFlight. An AWOS at Blanding Municipal Airport, 19 nm southwest of the accident site, at 1055 reported wind from 180° at 8 knots, visibility 10 miles, temperature 0°C, dew point -8°C. An ASOS at Cortez Municipal Airport, 39 miles southeast, at 1053 reported wind from 230° at 11 knots gusting to 18 knots, visibility 10 miles, broken ceiling at 4,800 ft agl, overcast at 6,500 ft agl. An atmospheric sounding for the accident time indicated surface wind from south-southwest at about 10 knots, veering to west-southwest and increasing to 30 knots at 15,000 ft. Relative humidity between 9,000 and 13,000 ft was 88–93%. The freezing level was below the surface. A risk of light mixed and rime icing was identified between 9,000 and 13,000 ft. Satellite imagery showed cloudy skies with cloud tops about 26,600 ft. Cloud bases in the accident region were likely about 9,500 to 10,000 ft msl.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage was found in a field about 10 nm southeast of Monticello, Utah, at an elevation of about 6,850 ft. The debris field was oriented on a magnetic track of about 085° and was about 550 ft long. The wreckage was highly fragmented. All major components were identified. No fuel was observed on site. No evidence of pre-impact mechanical deficiencies or pre-or postimpact fire was found.
The wings had fracture-separated from the fuselage. The horizontal stabilator remained attached; pitch trim was set halfway between neutral and full nose-up. The vertical stabilizer and rudder remained attached only at the fin root. Flight control cables were fractured in tensile overload. The landing gear was retracted at impact. The fuel selector valve was set to the left tank. Most cockpit controls were damaged beyond reliable interpretation.
The engine separated from the airframe. Manual rotation established continuity throughout the engine. No evidence of foreign object ingestion or detonation was found. The propeller hub was fractured; all three blades had moderate aft bending and leading-edge nicks, consistent with power at impact.
Additional Information
FAA Advisory Circular 61-134 defines controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) as a situation where a properly functioning aircraft is flown under control of a qualified pilot into terrain with inadequate awareness of the impending collision.
Flight Recorders
The airplane was equipped with an Insight G2 engine monitor that stored data on an SD card. The card slot in the recovered instrument was empty, and no SD card was found in the wreckage.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy on the pilot determined cause of death as multiple injuries due to impact. Toxicology testing by the Utah medical examiner revealed no carbon monoxide, alcohol, or drugs except caffeine. FAA toxicology testing detected no ethanol in muscle tissue, but Diphenhydramine was detected at a level below the FAA reporting threshold. Diphenhydramine is an over-the-counter antihistamine that could impair mental or physical ability; the FAA recommends waiting at least 60 hours after the last dose before safety-related duties. Toxicology testing on the three passengers for carbon monoxide was negative.