Miles Kenneth Reece Jr.
Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
http://registry.faa.gov/N7043M
NTSB Identification: WPR14FA252
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, June 18, 2014 in Moab, UT
Probable Cause Approval Date: 05/23/2016
Aircraft: CESSNA 175, registration: N7043M
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The airline transport pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight in the accident airplane behind another airplane. Radar data showed that the accident airplane was trailing about 2 to 3 miles behind the lead airplane and that both airplanes were proceeding northwest at 9,400 ft mean sea level (msl). The lead pilot reported that the flight route included flying through a mountain pass at an of elevation 10,150 ft msl. The lead airplane exited the pass to the west, and the lead airplane pilot then lost communications with the accident airplane pilot.
The next day, a search and rescue helicopter pilot located the airplane wreckage on the eastern slope of the pass about 1/2 mile below the mountain pass ridge, in a steep wooded valley, at an elevation of 9,804 ft msl. An on-scene examination was conducted; broken tree tops, vertical witness marks on three trunks, and the compact nature of the wreckage footprint were consistent with the airplane impacting terrain in a near-vertical descent after a low-altitude stall/spin. A postaccident fire destroyed a majority of the airplane. No preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions were found that would have precluded normal operation.
The terrain rises 1,100 ft vertically over a distance of 2 miles as the mountain pass is approached in the direction that the accident airplane was traveling. The airplane’s maximum climb rate at 10,000 ft was calculated to be about 650 ft per minute at 83 mph, which was not sufficient to climb the airplane over the rising terrain at the point that the pilot started the ascent and this led to his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle-of-attack and the airplane entering a stall/spin.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot’s decision to approach rising mountainous terrain at too low an altitude to clear it and his subsequent attempt to climb, which exceeded the airplane’s critical angle-of-attack and resulted in a stall/spin.
HISTORY OF THE FLIGHT
On June 18, 2014, about 0736 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 175, N7043M, collided with mountainous terrain 20 miles southeast of Moab, Utah. The airline transport pilot, who was flying the airplane, was fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed in a post-accident fire. The airplane was registered to the pilot, and was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from Durango, Colorado, about 0630, and was destined for Brigham City, Utah.
The accident airplane was in a 2- to 3-mile trail behind the lead airplane, an experimental Glasair Sportsman, flying towards Moab from the east at 9,400 feet mean sea level (msl). The route of flight as described by the lead pilot, was through the saddle between two peaks (South Mountain & Mount Peal) known as the La Sal Pass, elevation 10,150 feet msl. The lead airplane lost communications with the trail airplane after the lead exited the La Sal Pass to the west. The airplane wreckage was located by a Utah Highway Patrol helicopter on June 19th on the eastern slope of La Sal Pass in a steep wooded valley, at an elevation of 9,804 feet msl. A post-accident fire consumed a majority of the airplane and its contents.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot, age 62, held an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate for multiengine land with a B-747 second-in-command rating, and commercial privileges for airplane single engine land, issued May 19, 2006. He held a third-class Federal Aviation Administration medical certificate issued on April 24, 2014, with no limitations. On the pilot's April 24, 2014, medical certificate application he reported that his total flight time was 4,300 hours, and time accumulated within the previous 6 months was 150 hours. The pilot's log books were never located and are presumed to have been destroyed in the post-accident fire.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The two-seat, high-wing, fixed-gear, tail wheel configured airplane, serial number 55343, was manufactured in 1958. It was powered by a Franklin 6A, 220-hp engine and equipped with a McCauley two bladed constant speed propeller. The airframe and engine maintenance records were not located by investigators and presumed destroyed in the post-crash fire. The actual time on the engine and airframe, and the date of the most recent annual inspection, were not determined.
The Cessna technical representative provided information estimating that the performance of the airplane at 2,350 lbs gross weight with the Franklin 220-hp engine would be similar to the Cessna 180 model of airplane at 2,650 lbs gross weight. A Cessna 180 climb performance chart showed that at 2,650 lbs, 10,000 feet, 23 degrees F, the rate of climb that the pilot could expect would be 650 feet per minute at 83 mph.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
Weather recorded by the Canyonlands Field Airport, Moab, Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS), located about 35 miles northwest of the accident site, at 0753 on June 18th, was clear skies, 10 statute miles visibility, and the wind as variable at 5 knots.
A sounding was retrieved for the accident region at 0900 MDT from the North American Mesoscale (NAM) model. This NAM model sounding estimated wind at 9,500 feet msl to be from about 225° true at 3 knots.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The wreckage was located on a 20-degree slope, in an ephemeral stream bed with green vegetation ground cover and populated with mature aspen trees, at an elevation of 9,804 feet msl. Along the airplane's approximate flight track, in the mile prior to the impact site, the terrain rose about 400 feet per mile. The terrain rose an additional 700 feet from the wreckage location to the La Sal pass, 1 mile further along the intended route of flight.
The wreckage examination was performed on-scene and established that all structural and control components of the airplane were at the accident site. A near vertical descent angle was determined by broken tree tops, vertical witness marks on three trunks, and the compact nature of the wreckage footprint. A post-accident fire consumed the cockpit, cabin, and right wing. The left wing spar was present, however, the majority of the wing had been destroyed by fire. The left fuel tank exhibited hydraulic deformation and fire damage. The aft portion of the fuselage and tail were present and exhibited heat discoloration and impact damage. The airplane was oriented on a magnetic bearing of 318 degrees measured from tail to nose. Within the main cabin area a large amount of camping equipment was identified, such as tent stakes, a stove fuel bottle, field tie down anchors, metal poles, and pots. The engine was positioned on the uphill side of the wreckage, resting on its left side, and was fire damaged. The engine case was structurally intact, with the majority of the accessories and carburetor destroyed by fire. The propeller hub had separated from the propeller flange. Both propeller blades were loose in the hub. One blade exhibited a longitudinal twist along the entire blade length, and the other blade tip was bent forward. All flight control cables were traced from the cockpit to their respective bell cranks near the flight control surfaces, and all cable ends remained attached to their respective bell cranks. Flap cables were attached to the flap handle and traced to the flap bell cranks. The right flap cable was separated in overload.
On June 27th the engine was examined by the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) at a wreckage recovery facility in Phoenix, Arizona. No preimpact anomalies were identified that would have precluded normal operation of the engine. A examination report is provided in the official docket of this investigation.
No pre-impact failures or mechanical malfunctions were identified that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
An autopsy was performed on the pilot June 20, 2014, by the Utah Medical Examiner in Salt Lake City, Utah. The cause of death was listed as "Blunt force injuries of head, torso, and extremities."
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Civil Aerospace Medical Institute's (CAMI) Forensic Toxicology Research Team performed toxicology on specimens from the pilot with negative results for ethanol or listed drugs. Tests for carbon monoxide and cyanide were not performed.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Radar Data
The radar data for the two airplanes was obtained from the US Air Force 84th Radar Evaluation Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
The two airplanes were not receiving air traffic control services, were using generic "1200" transponder codes, and not specifically radar identified. The radar data indicated that the accident airplane transponder was not transmitting mode C altitude information, while the lead Glasair was. It was possible to distinguish the two aircraft even though they were operating in close proximity to one another, and on the same transponder code.
The radar data indicated that the accident airplane departed Durango approximately 0630, and flew in a north westerly direction. The Glasair established a radar-indicated cruise altitude of 9,400 feet, and the accident airplane, flying in trail, is presumed to have followed at a similar altitude. The lead airplane approached the La Sal pass from the southeast, and the final radar return depicts it 2.4 miles from the accident location at 10,400 feet msl. No further radar information was captured.
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, June 18, 2014 in Moab, UT
Aircraft: CESSNA 175, registration: N7043M
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On June 18, 2014, about 0800 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 175, N7043M, collided with mountainous terrain 20 miles southeast of Moab, UT. The airline transport pilot who was flying the airplane was fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed in a post accident fire. The airplane was registered to the pilot and operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from Durango, Colorado, about 0630, and was destined for Brigham City, Utah.
The accident airplane was in trail about 2-3 miles behind the lead airplane, an experimental Glassair Sportsman, flying towards Moab from the east at 9,500 feet. The route of flight as described by the lead pilot was through the saddle between two peaks (South Mountain & Mount Peal) known as the La Sal Pass. The lead airplane lost communications with the trail airplane after exiting the La Sal Pass. After an extensive search the lead airplane reported the accident airplane as missing. The airplane wreckage was located by a Utah Highway Patrol helicopter the next day in the La Sal Pass on a steep wooded valley populated by mature aspen trees, at an elevation of 9,804 feet mean sea level (msl). Post accident fire consumed a majority of the airplane and its contents. The highest point of the La Sal Pass is about 10,300 feet msl.
Weather recorded by the Canyonlands Field Airport, Moab, Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS) at 0753 on 18 June, was clear skies, 10 statute miles visibility, and the wind as variable at 5 knots.
Bayfield resident Miles Kenneth Reece Jr. died Wednesday, June 18, 2014, when his Cessna 175 crashed in the La Sal Mountains southeast of Moab, Utah. He was 62.
Mr. Reece was born to Erma (Fox) and Miles Kenneth Reece Sr. on Dec. 7, 1951, in Whittier, California. He grew up in Whittier, La Mirada and San Gabriel, California.
In 1972, he graduated from the Northrop Institute of Technology in Inglewood, California, where he became a certified airframe and power plant mechanic.
After graduation, he moved to Boulder, where he worked for Roach Aviation at Jefferson County Airport as a small-plane pilot. He began flying air freight around the Rocky Mountain states shortly afterward and eventually became first officer on DC-9s and 747s and a flight engineer on 727s for Evergreen Airlines. He also was a pilot for Continental Airlines for several years before the company’s first bankruptcy. He logged thousands of hours in heavy aircraft with the two airlines.
He moved to Bayfield in 1995, where he worked for longtime friend Jeff Grigsby at Indian Motor Works. He also had his own large shop, where he built and restored numerous collector cars and motorcycles.
He was a member of the Over the Hill Gang car club and the Durango Old Car Club.
“His handiwork was superb and was shown in national magazines,” according to his family. “His work also can be found on countless vehicles all over Colorado and the West.”
Mr. Reece owned several light aircraft, including the 1958 Cessna he was flying at the time of the crash. He rebuilt the plane from the ground up and had it inspected by Federal Aviation Administration authorities before flying it.
“He was incredibly alert and cautious when involved with any aspect of flight,” according to his family.
Mr. Reece is the second member of his family to die in a plane crash. His nephew, Ken Reece, was killed when his plane went down in January 1997.
“Miles was an incredibly talented builder of hot rods, trucks and motorcycles,” according to his family. “He could build anything mechanical.”
Mr. Reece climbed many of Colorado’s highest peaks and enjoyed horseback riding and mountain flying.
Mr. Reece is survived by his life partner, Maureen O’Donnell, of Bayfield; his brother, Mark Reece, of Reno, Nevada; and his half-sister Sharon Smith of Oregon City, Oregon.
Cremation will occur. A memorial service will be held in Bayfield at a later date.
A Colorado man was killed on impact last week when the airplane he was piloting crashed into a mountainside near the La Sal Pass Road.
Miles Reece, 62, of Bayfield, was flying on his own from the Durango-La Plata County Airport to the Idaho backcountry, where he planned to go camping with a friend who was traveling in a second plane.
According to San Juan County Sheriff Rick Eldredge, Reece’s single-engine 1958 Cessna 175 disappeared from radar at about 9 a.m. on June 18, shortly after it entered the airspace over the La Sals. A search team found the plane early the next afternoon in a steep ravine between Medicine Lake and Beaver Lake.
The accident remains under investigation, and Eldredge said his office won’t know what caused the crash until the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) completes its report on the incident.
“He was an experienced pilot,” Eldredge said June 24. “He had flown around the La Sal Mountains dozens of times, if not more. We just do not know what happened.”
Reece, who restored antique cars and motorcycles for a living, set off on his trip in tandem with New Mexico resident Douglas Berry. The two men had been communicating via radio during the first leg of their trip, but they lost contact as they flew over the La Sals.
By the time that Berry was on the other side of the range, he still hadn’t heard anything from Reece, so he flew back to the point where they last communicated.
When he couldn’t find him, Berry continued on to their scheduled rendezvous point and refueling stop in Brigham City with the hope that his friend would be there.
“Mr. Berry hoped he had landed with radio problems,” Eldredge said.
He waited there for several hours, and when his friend didn’t show up, Berry called authorities.
“By the time he contacted us, it was late afternoon, and we searched through the night,” Eldredge said.
The multi-agency search slowed down as darkness set in, but it resumed early the next morning.
None of the plane’s four locating devices were on, although Civil Air Patrol searchers spotted the wreckage from above at about 1 p.m. on June 19.
Trees in the ravine are about 100 feet tall, so there was no way for Utah Department of Public Safety personnel to safely land their helicopter nearby, Eldredge said.
However, once they located the plane, San Juan County Sheriff’s deputies on the ground were able to help with recovery efforts, according to Eldredge.
“They had to use a cargo net and hoist him out above those trees,” he said.
At that point, the helicopter flew on to Spanish Valley; from there, Reece’s body was transported by ground to the Utah Medical Examiner’s Office in Salt Lake City.
Source: http://www.moabtimes.com
A Bayfield, Colo., pilot died after his plane crashed into the La Sal Mountain Range.
Miles Reece, 62, and another pilot — in separate planes — were flying from Durango, Colo., to go camping in the Idaho backcountry, with a planned fuel stop in Brigham City.
But about 9 a.m. Wednesday, radar in Grand Junction, Colo., had the two planes in view but lost visual on both as they entered the La Sal mountains. The radar picked up one plane again as it cleared the range, but Reece’s plane never reappeared, according to a San Juan County Sheriff’s news release.
Douglas Berry, Reece’s friend in the other plane, turned around and flew back to where he had last talked to Reece over the radio. But he couldn’t find him.
"He then turned back towards the north and continued on to Brigham City hoping that Mr. Reece was only having radio problems and would meet up with him at their planned rendezvous point," the release reads. "After several hours of waiting on Mr. Reece in Brigham City with no contact from Mr. Reece, Mr. Berry contacted authorities to report the missing plane."
By 1 p.m., search teams found the plane in a steep ravine south of the Lasal Mountain Pass road, directly between Medicine Lake and Beaver Lake. The plane had crashed into the mountainside, killing Reece on impact, according to the sheriff’s office.
The pilot was alone, and only traveling with camping equipment. The plane was equipped with four different emergency locator devices, but none of them had been turned on, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Federal Aviation Administration has been contacted to investigation why the plane crashed.
Reece’s body will be flown from the area and later taken to the Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and loved ones of the victim," the release concludes.
Story and comments: http://www.sltrib.com
SAN JUAN COUNTY – At approximately 1 p.m. Thursday, San Juan County Sheriff’s search teams, including Utah Highway Patrol and Utah Civil Air Patrol, located a missing aircraft in the La Sal Mountains in San Juan County.
According to a press release from San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, the 1958 Cessna 175 Skylark plane, piloted by Miles Reece, 62, of Bayfield, Colorado, crashed into the mountainside. The pilot was killed on impact.
No other passengers were on board and the plane was only carrying camping gear.
The Federal Aviation Administration has been contacted and will investigation to find what caused the crash.
Family has been contacted and Reece’s body will be flown to the Spanish Valley area by a Department of Public Safety helicopter and then transported by ground to the medical examiner’s office in Salt Lake City.
According to the press release, Reece left the Durango, Colorado, airport at approximately 6:30 a.m. He was accompanied by another plane piloted by his friend Douglas Berry, who departed from New Mexico. Both planes where headed for Johnson Creek, Idaho, for a camping trip.
The two pilots were in radio contact but not visual. As they entered the La Sal Mountain Range, the planes disappeared from Grand Junction, Colorado, radar. After passing the mountain range, only Berry’s plane appeared back on radar.
According to the press release, Berry turned around and flew back to where he last had radio contact with Reece but was unable to locate him.
Hoping that Reece was only having radio issues, Berry headed north to Brigham City, which was a rendezvous point where they had planned to meet.
After several hours of waiting in Brigham City with no contact from Reece, Berry contacted authorities to report a missing plane.
The plane had four different devices for location on board but none of them had been turned on. These devices included a “Find Me Spot locator” and an “Orange Box Emergency Locator.”
Searchers were able to visually spot the downed plane while searching.
Source: http://www.stgeorgeutah.com
SAN JUAN COUNTY, Utah — A Colorado man died Thursday morning in a plane crash in the La Sal Mountains in San Juan County.
According to the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, 62-year-old Miles Reece was flying from an airport in Durango, Colo. to the Idaho backcountry for a camping trip with a friend, who is also a pilot and was flying a separate plane.
Reece and his friend, New Mexico resdident Douglas Berry, planned to rendezvous in Brigham City to refuel on their way to Idaho.
According to a statement from the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, Berry was ahead of Reece and the two pilots were in radio contact with each other, but did not have visual contact.
Both planes could be seen on a radar system in Grand Junction, Colo. but were no longer visible as they crossed into the La Sal Mountains, the statement said.
Berry’s plane came back into radar view as it cleared the mountains, but Reece’s did not.
Berry also lost radio contact with Reece, the statement said, so he turned around and flew back to the area where he had last spoken with Reece.
Unable to make contact with Reece, Berry continued to Brigham City, where he waited for several hours before contacting authorities to report the missing plane.
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office deployed its own plane and was aided by a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter and two civil air patrol planes to conduct a visual search for the missing aircraft, the statement said.
Reece’s plane, a 1958 fixed wing, single engine 175 Cessna, had crashed into the mountainside. He died on impact.
No one else was aboard the plane.
The Federal Aviation Administration will conduct an investigation to determine what caused the plane to crash.
Source: http://fox13now.com
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a plane that went missing over the La Sal Mountain Range.
Two small planes were flying from Durango, Colo., to the Idaho backcountry, with a planned fuel stop in Brigham City. But about 9 a.m. Wednesday, one of the planes went missing, according to a news release. The release does not detail how many people were on board.
Radar in Grand Junction, Colo., had the two planes in view but lost visual on both as they entered the La Sal mountains. The radar picked up one plane again as it cleared the range, but the second never reappeared.
The pilot from the first plane tried to contact the other plane over the radio, but with no success, according to the release. The pilot continued on to Brigham City and contacted the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office.
A sheriff’s office plane, a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter and two civil air patrol planes are scouring the mountains for the second plane, the release adds.
MONTICELLO, Utah — A small plane on its way from Colorado to Idaho disappeared Thursday morning in the La Sal Mountains in San Juan County.
According to a statement from the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, the plane was one of two small planes flying from Durango, Colo. to the Idaho backcountry. The pilots had planned to make a fuel stop in Brigham City.
The two planes were in radio contact with each other, the statement said, but did not have visual contact.
Both planes could be seen on a radar system in Grand Junction, Colo. but were no longer visible as they crossed into the La Sal Mountains, the statement said.
One plane came back into radar view as it cleared the mountains, but the other one did not.
The pilot of the first plane attempted to make radio contact with the plane that didn’t come back into radar view, but was unsuccessful.
That pilot then continued on to Brigham City and contacted the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office.
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office deployed its own plane and is aided by a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter and two civil air patrol planes in a search for the missing aircraft, the statement said.
