History of Flight
On April 23, 2022, about 1848 mountain daylight time, a Diamond Aircraft DA 40, registration N321PF, was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Cedar City Regional Airport (CDC), Cedar City, Utah. The pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The flight was conducted as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The operator reported that the pilot rented the airplane intending to fly a multileg cross-country trip originating from Spanish Fork Municipal Airport/Woodhouse Field (SPK), Spanish Fork, Utah. The planned route included stops at CDC and four other airports before returning to SPK. The airplane departed SPK with about 40 gallons of fuel.
Recorded airport surveillance video at CDC showed the accident airplane landing at 1615 and taxiing to the self-serve fuel pumps. The pilot and passengers disembarked, and the pilot added about 14 gallons of fuel. Subsequently, they boarded for the next destination, Bryce Canyon Airport (BCE), and taxied toward the runway.
A pilot-rated witness traveling westbound down Cedar Canyon reported observing the airplane flying up the canyon over the river at an altitude of about 300 ft above ground level (agl). As the airplane passed over his position, it turned left then right, with maneuvers described as “quick” and exhibiting a “rocking motion.” The witness noted that the propeller appeared to be under power, not windmilling.
Another witness near the accident site reported observing the airplane on an easterly heading over the highway at about 200 to 300 ft agl. Aside from its low altitude, the airplane did not appear distressed. The witness, with windows up, could not hear the engine. After the airplane passed, the witness saw in the mirror that it “bank really hard to the south, back across the highway,” as if attempting to turn around in the narrow canyon. At that moment, the wings were “almost completely vertical,” and the airplane “didn’t look like it had enough speed to pull off that maneuver.”
The airplane impacted mountainous terrain along the southern edge of the canyon about 7 miles southeast of CDC. A postcrash fire ensued.
Personnel Information
During his most recent Federal Aviation Administration medical examination, the pilot reported being 74 inches tall and weighing 215 pounds.
Aircraft Information
The estimated weight of the airplane at departure from CDC was about 128 pounds over the maximum gross weight of 2,646 pounds. This estimation was based on full fuel (40 gallons), reported or measured occupant weights, and no baggage. The airplane’s center of gravity (CG), calculated using the passenger and seat locations in the most favorable position, was found outside the manufacturer’s approved CG envelope.
According to the DA-40 Airplane Flight Manual performance information under the assumed altitude and air density conditions, the airplane’s climb performance would have been about 300 ft per minute.
Meteorological Information
The calculated density altitude at the time of departure was about 6,022 ft. At the accident location and time, the density altitude was about 7,203 ft.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Examination of the accident site showed that the airplane impacted mountainous terrain along the southern edge of a canyon about 7 miles southeast of CDC. The airplane came to rest inverted on a magnetic heading of about 289° at an elevation of 6,583 ft mean sea level. The first identified point of contact (FIPC) was a tall tree with damaged limbs near its top. The debris path, oriented on a magnetic heading of about 294°, extended about 150 ft from the FIPC to the main wreckage. All major structural components were located within the debris path.
Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit to all primary flight controls. Numerous separations within the flight control system exhibited signatures consistent with overload separation or recovery process. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Utah Department of Health, Office of the Medical Examiner, determined the pilot’s cause of death as blunt force injuries. Toxicology testing at the Federal Aviation Administration Forensic Sciences Laboratory found no ethanol or drugs of abuse in the pilot’s specimens.