Cedar City

The airplane collided with mountainous terrain while conducting firefighting operations, 20 miles north of Modena, Utah. The airplane was operated by Neptune Aviation Services under contract with the US Forest Service as an exclusive public-use fixed-wing airtanker service contract conducted under the operational control of the Bureau of Land management (BLM). Both pilots were fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and post crash fire. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a company flight plan had been filed. The flight originated in Cedar City, Utah, at 1315. The crew of Tanker 11 consisted of the pilot, copilot, and crew chief. They were based out of Missoula, MT, and had been together as a crew for the previous 3 weeks. Normally, the crews stay together for the entire fire season. Tanker 11 crew had operated out of Reno for the 2 weeks prior to the accident. During fire drop operations the tanker is manned by the pilot and copilot, while the crew chief remains at the fire base as ground personnel. The day before the accident while en route from Reno to Cedar City they performed one retardant drop on the White Rock fire, then landed at Cedar City. The crew departed the Cedar City tanker base and arrived at their hotel in Cedar City around 2230. The following morning, the day of the accident, the crew met at 0815, and rode into the Cedar City tanker base together. Tanker 11 took off at 1214 on its first drop on the White Rock fire, and returned at 1254. The crew shut down the airplane, reloaded the airplane with retardant, and did not take on any fuel. Tanker 11 departed the tanker base at 1307 to conduct its second retardant drop of the day, which was to be in the same location as the first drop. Upon arriving in the Fire Traffic Area (FTA) Tanker 11 followed the lead airplane, a Beech Kingair 90, into the drop zone. The drop zone was located in a shallow valley that was 0.4 miles wide and 350 feet deep. The lead airplane flew a shallow right-hand turn on to final, then dropped to an altitude of 150 feet above the valley floor over the intended drop area. While making the right turn on to final behind the lead plane, Tanker 11's right wing tip collided with terrain that was about 700 feet left of the lead airplane's flight path, which resulted in a rapid right yaw, followed by impact with terrain; a fire ball subsequently erupted. Tanker 11 created a 1,088-foot-long debris field and post impact fire.

Radar data indicated that the airplane departed for a cross-country flight, climbed to a cruise altitude of 9,700 feet msl, and maintained a northeasterly course of 050 degrees magnetic direct to its destination. About 11 minutes after takeoff, the airplane entered a 1,000 foot-per-minute descent. The airplane continued to descend at this rate until it impacted terrain at an elevation of 4,734 feet. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane was still on its northeasterly course towards the destination at impact. Ground scars at the initial point of impact were consistent with the airplane being wings level in a slight nose-down pitch attitude. No mechanical anomalies with the airplane or engine were identified during the airplane wreckage examination. A postimpact fire destroyed all cockpit instrumentation, and no recorded or stored flight data could be recovered. Weather conditions at the time were clear, and light winds. The pilot had some moderate heart disease that was noted during the autopsy. He also had a history of stress and insomnia, which was documented in his FAA medical records. Toxicology findings noted the use of a sedating and impairing over-the-counter medication (chlorpheniramine) that was taken at some undetermined time prior to the accident. The investigation could not conclusively determine whether the pilot’s conditions or medication use were related to the accident. The reason for the airplane’s descent to ground impact could not be determined.

The twin engine aircraft, owned by the Red Canyon Aesthetics & Medical Spa, a dermatology clinic headquartered in Cedar City, was returning to its base when shortly after take off, the pilot elected to make an emergency landing due to technical problem. The aircraft hit the ground, skidded for 300 meters and came to rest in flames in the desert, near the Arches National Park. All 10 occupants, among them some cancer specialist who had traveled to Moab early that day to provide cancer screening, cancer treatment, and other medical services to citizens in Moab, were killed.

The pilot reported to ATC that he intended to make an unscheduled fuel stop. ATC advised that Cedar City Airport was 15 minutes away. Radar vectors were requested and were issued. Although dark night conditions existed and the pilot controlled airport lighting was never activated, the pilot reported the airport in sight and was cleared for a visual approach. Three minutes later radar contact was lost. Impact occurred in mountainous terrain at 9,100 feet elevation about six miles east of the 5,622 foot elevation airport. Minimum safe altitude was 12,400 feet. All four occupants were killed.

While flying in foggy conditions, the twin engine aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located near Minersville. All six occupants were killed.

The pilot Maurice Graham was performing a mail flight from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City with an intermediate stop in Las Vegas. He departed Las Vegas at 2200LT bound for Salt Lake City. While flying at night over the mountains east of Cedar City, Utah, he encountered poor weather conditions with blizzard. At a height of 12,000 feet, the aircraft stalled and crash landed on a mountain slope. The pilot was unhurt and walked away with the mail package. As the aircraft did not arrive in Salt Lake City, SAR operations were initiated but no trace of the aircraft nor the pilot was found. Eventually, Ward Mortenson and Elburn Orton, two youthful sheepherders, found the wreckage of the aircraft on 24 June 1930 some 22 miles south of Cedar City, in the Kanarra Mountains. The dead body of the pilot was found few days later, in July 1930, six miles away from the crash site.