NTSB WPR20LA249 — 2020-08-02 · Cedar City, Utah, United States

Current FAA registration · N225HJ

Make / Model: NORTH AMERICAN NAVION
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A1F44C

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N225HJ North American Navion Fatal

Probable cause & findings

A total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s improper fuel planning and failure to see and avoid the communications tower support guy wire.

Factual narrative

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On August 2, 2020, about 0841 mountain daylight time, a North American Navion airplane, N225HJ, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Cedar City Regional Airport (CDC), Cedar City, Utah. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to a friend of the pilot, the airplane was topped off with fuel at North Las Vegas Airport (VGT), Las Vegas, Nevada, on the day before the accident. The airplane’s main fuel tanks held 20 gallons each with a total of 39.5 gallons of usable fuel. Publicly available radar information indicated that the airplane departed VGT that day and flew two flights with a total time of about 1 hour 55 minutes. Radar data showed that, on the day of the accident, the airplane departed Strawberry Valley Estates Airport (UT24), Alton, Utah, about 0815; UT24 was about 30 miles (and about 20 minutes of flying time) from the last known point of contact from the previous day. After departure, the airplane flew southwest before turning north where it continued to track for the remaining portion of the flight captured by radar data. The airplane’s direction was consistent with a heading toward CDC. As the airplane approached its destination, witnesses heard the pilot make a distress call. The pilot stated that the airplane was out of gas and that he was going to try to land in a field. Other witnesses observed the airplane descending and then impacting terrain. Shortly thereafter, a nearby communications tower collapsed.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

Local law enforcement and the Federal Aviation Administration responded to the accident site. Examination of the accident site revealed that all major components of the airplane were located at the site. A support guy wire from the tower was observed wrapped around the front of the airplane. There was no post impact fire. The airplane came to rest inverted about 7 miles southwest from CDC and a few hundred feet from the collapsed tower. The wreckage site was on flat terrain at an elevation of about 5,475 ft. The outboard portion of the right wing separated and was found a few feet from the main wreckage. The right horizontal stabilizer and elevator remained attached but sustained impact damage. The front of the fuselage was also damaged. The main landing gear was extended, and the nose wheel had separated. A review of information on the communication tower revealed that it was about 400 ft in height and constructed of steel. The tower had 5 sets of guy wires that were connected to it at different elevations. The first wire was at 80 ft, the second wire at 160 ft, the third wire at 240 ft, the fourth wire at 320 ft, and the highest wire at 380 ft. Each wire had a varying width between 5/16 to 9/16 of an inch, which increased in width the higher the elevation. There were 3 guy wires at each elevation. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The Office of the Medical Examiner, Utah Department of Health, Taylorville, Utah, conducted an autopsy on the pilot. His cause of death was blunt trauma. Toxicology testing performed by the Federal Aviation Administration Forensic Sciences Laboratory on the pilot’s liver specimen detected dextrorphan, which is a cough suppressant used in many cold medications and is generally considered not impairing. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger departed from Strawberry Valley Estates Airport (UT24), Alton, Utah, on a cross-country flight. The airplane flew in a direction that was consistent with a heading toward their planned destination, Cedar City Regional Airport (CDC), Cedar City, Utah. As the airplane neared its destination, witnesses heard the pilot make a distress call indicating that the airplane was out of gas and that he was trying to make a forced landing in a field. Other witnesses observed the airplane descending and then impacting terrain. Shortly thereafter, a nearby communications tower collapsed. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preimpact malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane’s main fuel tanks held 20 gallons each with a total of 39.5 gallons of usable fuel. According to a friend of the pilot, the airplane was fueled at North Las Vegas Airport (VGT), Las Vegas, Nevada, on the day before the accident. The airplane then departed VGT and flew two flights with a total time of about 1 hour 55 minutes. On the day of the accident, the airplane departed UT24, which was about 30 miles (and about 20 minutes of flying time) from the last known point of contact from the previous day. The accident flight’s duration was about 31 minutes. The airplane’s distance traveled since fueling was consistent with consuming the usable fuel in the main fuel tanks. Thus, the airplane’s fuel load at the time of departure from UT24 was insufficient to complete the planned flight to CDC, and a total loss of engine power ensued. Additionally, examination of the airplane wreckage at the accident site revealed a support guy wire from the communications tower wrapped around the front of the airplane. Thus, while attempting the forced landing, the pilot failed to see and avoid the communications tower and subsequently struck the guy wire. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid management
— Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot
— Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tower/antenna (incl guy wires)-Effect on equipment
— Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_WPR20LA249.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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