WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Washington County, Utah)
AVIATION ACCIDENTS IN WASHINGTON COUNTY
AIRPLANE CRASHES
January 3, 1930 (Friday)Boeing 95 operated by Western Air Services
[location]
Pilot, Maurice Francis Graham, took off from Las Vegas carrying US mail. He arrived over Cedar City, but could not land because of a snowstorm. He crash landed in Washington County, but his plane was not found until June 24th and his body was not recovered until July 17.
For additional information, click here.
February 22, 1943 (Monday)
Army Air Force C-47, Serial Number 42-32799
10 miles south of Enterprise [??? Flat Top Mountain ???]
The pilot, Charles R. Butterwick, was killed in the crash and the aircraft was destroyed
November 3, 1943 (Wednesday)
Army Air Force A-20G, Serial Number 43-9241
30 miles southsouthwest of Range Station, Enterprise
The pilot, William G. Kimball, was killed when the aircraft caught fire and crashed
January 26, 1944 (Wednesday)
Army Air Force A-20G, Serial Number 43-9844
3 miles southsouthwest of Enterprise [??? Flat Top Mountain ???]
The pilot was Nolan P. Pringle was killed in the crash and the aircraft was destroyed
July 31, 1944 (Monday)
Army Air Force P-70B, Serial Number 43-9985
One quarter mile northeast of the Enterprise Airport
Note: This airport and the crash site are actually in Iron County, near the current Beryl Junction
The pilot was Blaine L. Mack
Crashed during a landing attempt, severely damaging the aircraft
March 22, 1946 (Friday)
Fairchild PT-19
Washington, UT
The two persons on board were both killed: Paul Neilson (24, the pilot) and Antone J. "Junior" Neilson (23).
For an eyewitness account and newspaper clippings, click here.
June 22, 1947 (Sunday)
A teenage spectator, Dolores Woodbury, was killed at the Wilson-King Sky Show at the St. George Municipal Airport. Mrs. Joe White and her infant daughter were were also injured, when a light plane involved with the airshow experienced brake failure on landing and crashed into cars parked at the edge of the airfield. The pilot, Bernadine Lewis King, was also injured.
" Plane Hits Cars, Kills Girl", The Deseret News, June 23, 1947"
October ??, 1948
This accident didn't take place in Washington County, but it involved two popular St. George residents and caused quite a stir locally.
Herman and Conrad Larkin crashed in a snowstorm just north of Delta UT and were fatally injured.
The Larkin brothers worked together running their own heating & plumbing business and were known as "The Singing Plumbers".
" http://www.southernutah.com/Articles/Over_50/241895.045035/document_view?month:int=6&year:int=2008"
December 16, 1949 (Friday)
Dr. Frank Y. Gates, 32, of Las Vegas, was en route to Salt Lake City to deliver Christmas presents to his two children, who live there with their mother, Dr. Gates' former wife.
Crashed near Jackson Peak in the Beaver mountain area 30 miles northwest of St. George.
The pilot was the only one on board and he was killed.
For a collection of AP news articles, " click here"
March 28, 1955 (Monday)
Air Force F-86F, Serial Number 52-5086
30 miles southwest of Cedar City
The pilot, Kyu A. Lee, ran out of fuel and made a forced landing; the aircraft was destroyed
November 14, 1965 (Sunday)
N7044W
Piper PA-28
New Harmony, UT
Fatality
October 10, 1969 (Friday)
N424V
Beech V35
St George, UT
Fatality
October 3, 1974 (Thursday)
N9039W
Piper PA-28
St.george, UT
Fatality
September 7, 1975 (Sunday)
N7FS
Beech A35
Hurricane, UT
Fatality
February 18, 1982 (Thursday)
N4295S
Beech A36
St. George, UT
Fatality
April 11, 1983 (Monday)
B-52G
The crash occured on Square Top Mountain, about 20 miles northwest of St. George.
The plane impacted at an elevation of about 6,300 feet, at least 1,200 feet below the mountaintop.
The huge, eight-engine bomber slammed into the mountain as it approached the Nellis Air Force Base bombing range in bad weather.
The plane stationed at Robins Air Force Base GA.
It was taking part in Red Flag - mock war games conducted several times a year over the Nevada desert.
It carried no weapons of any kind when it crashed.
All 8 crew members were killed
GenDisasters article: Square Top Mt., UT Bomber Crash, Apr 1983
See Loren Webb's 4/12/2013 article on KCSG.com.
May 17, 1983 (Tuesday)
Piper Navajo, N159SW
SkyWest Airlinest was flying Dana Henderson, a special projects editor for Air Transport World, into St. George to do an article on SkyWest's expanded commuter services. Two SkyWest officals were waiting for them at the airport when pilot, Neil Brown, made an almost perfect landing, except for forgetting to put the landing gear down.
St. George Municipal Airport, St. George, UT
There were no injuries. The plane sustained about $50,000 in damages.
See Loren Webb's 9/15/2012 article on KCSG.com.
May 21, 1983 (Saturday)
NONE
Intl Ultralight Banshee
St. George, UT
Fatality
November 6, 1987 (Friday)
N9447B
Cessna 172RG
Pintura, UT
3 fatalities
For additional information, click here.
April 16, 1988 (Saturday)
N2738R
Piper PA-28R-200
Pintura, UT
3 fatalities
For additional information, click here.
May 17, 1994 (Tuesday)
N224FH
Hallstrom BD-5B
St. George, UT
Fatality
October 12, 1996 (Saturday)
N16DK
Keith VANS RV-6A
Hurricane, UT
Fatality
http://www.planecrashmap.com/plane/ut/N16DK
March 9, 2001 (Friday)
N1121J
Erco 415-C Ercoupe
Ivins, UT
The plane was substantially damaged during a forced landing but the pilot received only minor injuries and there was noone else on board.
http://dms.ntsb.gov/aviation/GenPDF.aspx?id=DEN01LA065&rpt=fa
http://dms.ntsb.gov/aviation/GenPDF.aspx?id=DEN01LA065&rpt=fi
September 24, 2001 (Monday)
N337PM
Cessna 337B
The plane lost power and the pilot tried to make it to the old St. George Airport. It clipped a power line and crashed into the side of the mesa between the runway and Bluff Street, just west of Tablernacle Street.
The pilot, a retired FAA aviation safety inspector, died in the crash.
June 17, 2004 (Thursday)
N8214J
WSK PZL Mielec M-18A
This air tanker crashed northwest of St. George after dropping fire retardant. The pilot was killed.
June 30, 2009 (Tuesday)
N927GL
Piper PA-46-350P
In the Utah Hill area 20 miles west of Saint George, UT
The plane was en route from Las Vegas NV to Cedar City UT.
The pilot, Gary Logan (54) of Las Vegas, was the only one aboard and he was killed.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705314086/Pilot-dies-in-plane-crash-in-S-Utah.html
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12724968
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=7015532
May 27, 2012 (Saturday)
1999 Cessna 172
The plane took off from the new St. George Airport in the early hours of the morning with four young men on board. It crashed shortly after takeoff, but wasn't discovered for several hours until a 6:00 am security patrol.
The victims were Christopher Jordan Chapman (20) and Colby Chester Hafen (28) both of Santa Clara; Tanner James Holt (23, pilot) of Washington City and Georgia; and Alexander James Metzger (22) of St. George.
The FAA determined that the aircraft exceeded its maximum gross weight by about 160 pounds. The pilot and two of the passengers had consumed multiple alcoholic beverages at a party on the night before the flight and alcohol was likely a contributing factor.
See the article in the Salt Lake Tribune, 5/28/2012
July 3, 2013 (Wednesday)
A private plane crashed into Frog Hollow Wash southeast of the Hurricane Airport.
The pilot, USAF Major (retired) John Spey (74) of Apple Valley was seriously injured.
See the article in the The Spectrum, 7/3/2013
May 7, 2014 (Wednesday)
N8236F
1966 Cessna 150F
This 2-seat trainer crashed while on a training flight over rugged terrain in the Santa Clara River Reserve just south of Santa Clara. The crash occured at 11:09 am near the Barrel Roll and Side Winder trails in the Cove Fort Wash, approximately one mile south of the Jacob Hamblin Home.
The instructor, Gary Hawes (75) of St. George, and student, Brad Brian (38) of Washington, were killed. Hawes was a former U-2 pilot during the Vietnam War and later a Skywest pilot. Dr. Brian was an anesthesiologist at Dixie Regional Medical Center.
WCSO photos: WCSO-1, WCSO-2, WCSO-3, WCSO-4
Video: UHP helicopter footage of the crash scene
Video: Two killed in plane crash near Santa Clara, Utah
Aircraft Data
Aviation Safety Network accident report
Articles in The Spectrum on 5/7/2014 and on 5/8/2014.
October 21, 2018 (Sunday)
N413LL
Piper Malibu Mirage, PA 46-350P
The pilot made an emergency landing in a field off of 920 West in Hurricane due to an electrical fire.
The pilot and five passengers got out safely. Two of the passengers were transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
See the article in the The St George News, 10/21/2018
REFERENCES
List of Fatal Airplane Crashes in UtahNTSB Aviation Accident Reports
Aviation Archaeological Investigation & Research