What happened
During a night flight, the pilot notified air traffic control of the need for an unplanned refueling stop. Controllers informed the pilot that Cedar City Airport was approximately 15 minutes from their current position. Following a request from the pilot, air traffic control provided radar vectors to guide the aircraft toward the destination.
At the time of the flight, visibility was limited by darkness, and the airport's controlled lighting system had not been turned on. Despite these conditions, the pilot confirmed that the airport was visible and received clearance to proceed with a visual approach. However, radar tracking was lost three minutes after this clearance was issued.
The aircraft subsequently struck mountainous terrain at an elevation of 9,100 feet. This impact occurred roughly six miles east of the airport, which sits at an elevation of 5,622 feet. The flight was operating significantly below the minimum safe altitude of 12,400 feet for the area. The crash resulted in four fatalities.
Findings
- The aircraft struck terrain at an altitude well below the established minimum safe altitude.
- The incident occurred during a visual approach under dark night conditions without active airport lighting.