NTSB Releases Final Report on Utah Hawker Accident

Agency cites crew following improper procedures in fatal crash.

Meg Godlewski

Friday, January 02, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Wreckage at the accident site [Credit: NTSB]

Key Takeaways:

The fatal Hawker 900XP crash was primarily caused by the flight crew's decision to conduct a post-maintenance stall test in known icing conditions, contrary to the aircraft's operating manual.
Wing contamination from icing degraded the aircraft's aerodynamics, leading to the stall occurring simultaneously with the stick shaker activation, thus providing no effective warning for the crew to react.
The flight crew lacked sufficient experience and training for performing stall tests in the Hawker and for adequately recovering from unexpected stall characteristics, contributing to their incorrect and fatal control inputs.

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The National Transportation Safety Board final report on the fatal crash of a Hawker 900XP over Westwater, Utah, in February notes the crew attempted to perform stall tests in icing conditions, even though they lacked experience performing the tests in the Hawker and were unfamiliar with the stall characteristics, which led to a loss of control and the death of both the pilot and copilot.

According to the report, two AIRMETs were issued about two and a half hours before the accident flight for moderate icing throughout the airplane’s climb and cruise altitude for the stall test. In addition, video showed that the departure airport was surrounded by obscuration and precipitation during takeoff.