NTSB CAROL · Event
Event DEN99FA120
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot inadvertently allowing the aircraft to enter a stall during initial climb following takeoff. Factors were high density altitude and gross weight which exceeded the maximum.
Factual narrative
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On July 11, 1999, at 1152 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-22-150, N7729D, impacted terrain during initial climb following takeoff from Hinckley Municipal Airport, Ogden, Utah. The private pilot and his three passengers received fatal injuries and impact and postimpact fire destroyed the aircraft. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for this personal flight to Jackpot, Nevada. The flight was being operated under Title 14 CFR part 91. According to airport control tower recorded information and controller statements, the aircraft was observed to settle and then climb slowly following takeoff. The pilot made the decision to return to land shortly after initial takeoff and was in a right hand turn with the wings observed to be rocking, when the aircraft rolled right to an inverted position, and descended into trees approximately 1/4 mile from the airport. The pilot did not indicate to the tower controller, who queried him about having problems with the aircraft, that there were any aircraft failures or malfunctions. The pilot had been cleared to land on runway 03. A church was located to the north of the crash site and service had ended immediately prior to the accident. Numerous persons were in the parking lot immediately adjacent to the accident site and several witnessed the accident, which took place about 30 feet south of the parking lot. Witness statements are attached and depict the aircraft in a right turn with the wings rocking. They described the right wing as "dropping" with the aircraft rolling to an inverted attitude as it impacted the trees. The witnesses said the aircraft was immediately engulfed in flames.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
According to information provided by the FAA, the pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating in airplanes-single engine land. He did not possess an instrument rating. The date of issue of his pilot certificate was December 3, 1998, and according to information provided by the pilot on his application for a medical certificate, he had 200 hours of flight time as of January 18, 1999, which was the date his third class medical certificate was issued. A restriction on his medical certificate required him to wear corrective lenses while exercising the privileges of his pilot certificate.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The aircraft, N7729D, was a Piper PA-22-150, powered by a Lycoming O-320 series engine rated at 150 horsepower at 2,700 revolutions per minute (rpm) at sea level. The aircraft contained seating for four people, was certificated for single pilot operation, and had a maximum certificated gross weight of 2,000 pounds. According to weight and balance information, this aircraft had an empty weight of 1,147 pounds. It contained 8 quarts of engine oil weighing 15 pounds, and 36 gallons of fuel weighing 216 pounds. Thus, the basic operating weight was 1,378 pounds, which left 622 pounds for useful load.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
An observation made 2 minutes before the accident was clear skies with 10 miles visibility, an altimeter setting of 30.25 inches of mercury, and wind from the north at 5 knots. The temperature was 82 degrees Fahrenheit (F), the dew point was 43 degrees (F) and the density altitude was 7,400 feet.
COMMUNICATIONS
The pilot of the aircraft communicated with Ogden Ground control and Ogden tower. The transcripts are attached and provide no evidence of aircraft failure or malfunction.
AERODROME INFORMATION
Ogden Hinckley Airport, located 3 miles southwest of the city of Ogden, is 4,470 feet above sea level. The airport is made up of three runways: 16/34 - 5,352 feet X 150 feet, 7/25 - 5,600 feet X 150 feet, and runway 3/21 which is 8,103 feet X 150 feet. All are surfaced with blacktop. An airport and surrounding area map is attached and depicts the accident aircraft flight path and the impact site based on witness information.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The aircraft impacted in the back yard of a residence. The first point of impact was into a row of trees running east/west, and the aircraft came to rest in an inverted position approximately 20 feet north of the tree line. Several smooth angular cuts were found in the tree branches. The aircraft was destroyed by impact and postimpact fire, which caused damage to all portions of the aircraft except a section of the empennage. All occupants remained in the aircraft. The fuselage was oriented on a heading of 260 degrees and there was no ground scar. The engine was separated and located approximately 3 feet west of the fuselage. It was buried in the ground and the propeller blades were discernable but obscured. The right wing was intact and the left wing was folded rearward along the side of the fuselage.
TESTS AND RESEARCH
Calculations based on known aircraft weights, which are depicted under AIRCRAFT INFORMATION in this document, and a total occupant weight of 758 pounds, supplied by the medical examiner, provided evidence the aircraft weight at takeoff was 2,136 pounds, or 136 pounds over the maximum certificated gross weight. A review of the aircraft operating manual performance data provided no information concerning rate or angle of climb.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Parties to the investigation were Piper Aircraft Corporation and Textron Lycoming Engines. The wreckage was released to the owner's insurance representative on July 15, 1999. No parts were retained. During initial climb following takeoff, the aircraft was observed to settle then climb slowly. The aircraft entered a right turn and the controller queried the pilot regarding having problems. The pilot did not indicate he was having problems but stated he would return and land. The controller issued a clearance to land on the nearest runway. The aircraft wings were observed to be rocking followed by the aircraft rolling inverted to the right and descending into trees. Density altitude at the time was 7,400 feet. Investigation revealed the aircraft was 136 pounds over the maximum certified gross weight allowable. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1999_DEN99FA120.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Conference Paper
Computational Analysis of Steady State Aerodynamics of Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Configuration in Deep Stall
This study presents a computational investigation of steady state aerodynamics of the Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) configuration over a wide range …
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Automating Bird Diverter Installation through Multi-Aerial Robots and Signal Temporal Logic Specifications
This paper tackles the task assignment and trajectory generation problem for bird diverter installation using a fleet of multi-rotors.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Variation of Critical Crystallization Pressure for the Formation of Square Ice in Graphene Nanocapillaries
Two-dimensional square ice in graphene nanocapillaries at room temperature is a fascinating phenomenon and has been confirmed experimentally.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Polycrystallinity enhances stress build-up around ice
Damage caused by freezing wet, porous materials is a widespread problem, but is hard to predict or control. Here, we show that polycrystallinity makes a great difference to the stress build-up process…
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint
Enhanced Prediction of Three-dimensional Finite Iced Wing Separated Flow Near Stall
Icing on three-dimensional wings causes severe flow separation near stall. Standard improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) is unable to correctly predict the separating reattaching flow due…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2021 · Journal article (JAAER)
Analysis on the Negative Emotional, Physiological, and Cognitive Responses Elicited from of the Activation of a Stall Alarm
Failing to identify an aerodynamic stall can lead to the inability of an aircraft to sustain flight. To warn pilots of an impending or fully-developed stall, many aircraft have safety devices installe…
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