Storch Aviation Australia Pty SS-MK4 N2898J accident near Boulder, Utah

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from power lines during low altitude maneuvering.

NTSB analysis

On the morning of the accident flight, the pilot flew with a passenger in the airplane on a sightseeing trip. The flight included low altitude maneuvers, to include low altitude flights into canyons. Photographs provided by the passenger revealed that the airplane was flown at low altitude through the canyons, and very close to the canyon walls. The pilot then landed and disembarked the passenger. Shortly thereafter, the pilot departed with another passenger onboard in the direction of the accident site. Witnesses observed the airplane flying low within a canyon shortly before a power failure occurred in the local town. Damage to the airplane revealed that the left wing struck the power transmission lines. The witness statements, damage sustained by the wing, and the position of the airplane after the accident, indicated that the pilot most likely turned left into an adjacent canyon from the one he was in and immediately into the path of the power lines.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR09LA269 for the full record.