Aircraft Stolen and Crashed at Saint George Airport (N865AS)

Incident Overview On the night in question, an aircraft registered N865AS landed at Saint George Airport in Utah at 2236 local time after completing flight DL7772 from Salt Lake City. All occupants deplaned, and the aircraft was parked on the ramp for the night. Shortly after midnight, a commercial pilot climbed over the barbed wire fence and opened the aircraft door, which had not been locked with a key. He managed to start the engines and the aircraft rolled for several metres before impacting the terminal building, passing through the fence, and coming to rest in a parking lot. The pilot shot himself in the cockpit. Police forces later confirmed that he intended to steal the aircraft after his girlfriend was killed that day in Colorado Springs. ## Official Findings The probable cause was determined to be an aircraft stolen by a commercial pilot who shot himself in the cockpit after attempting to take off without clearance. No investigations were conducted by the NTSB on this event.